oboeinsight

Both players and management have held that talent is the sole criterion for determining who gets into the Philadelphia Orchestra. The process is “squeaky clean,” in the words of one former orchestra leader.

There can be no prejudice or favoritism, they argue, since auditions happen behind screens.

Except when they don’t.

Morales auditioned not only without a screen, but in public, when he played concerts with the New York Philharmonic. Philadelphia Orchestra principal bassoonist Daniel Matsukawa also exposed his identity for all to see when he recently auditioned (unsuccessfully) for the Los Angeles Philharmonic in concert, and the Philadelphia followed the same path in its previous search for a concertmaster.

When orchestral musicians feign perplexity on the question of why orchestras aren’t more diverse – but we use audition screens! – the disingenuousness is insulting.

But the orchestra regularly asks us to accept an equally ludicrous proposition: that when auditions draw hundreds of aspirants, the most qualified musician just happens to be related to someone already in the organization. Morales has two relatives in the orchestra: his wife, second violinist Amy Oshiro-Morales, who joined in 2008, and sister-in-law Dara Morales, who came aboard in 2007.

More than a dozen members of the orchestra are related to each other – not counting several more who were, until recent retirements or resignations, entangled in one way or another.

On balance, has the hiring of spouses, partners, children, and in-laws been justified by first landing their stupendously talented relatives?

Interesting.

RTWT