Harmony Eludes Symphony as Premiere Nears

The musicians are finally in place for tonight’s premiere performance of the New West Symphony, but harmony still eludes Ventura County’s new orchestra.

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Despite a widely publicized deal between management and musicians, the performers say that they still have no long-term contracts and that those most active in the musicians’ union have been subject to “blatant blacklisting.”

Symphony officials deny these charges, arguing that efforts to pull together an orchestra in three weeks have not left enough time to complete contracts and other formalities.

But, they say, the group gathered for tonight’s show at the Civic Arts Plaza in Thousand Oaks will offer something far different from the two symphonies it sprang from.

This, they say, is a mix of the best Southern California has to offer, a truly first-rate symphony to rival the region’s best.

“They wanted to lift the level of the orchestra from what it was,” orchestra Manager Michael Markman said while listening to the players onstage at the group’s first rehearsal Wednesday. “This here is a higher-quality group.”

The players see it differently. New West, they say, is a collection of very talented musicians thrown together by forces seeking too much too soon--and, in the process, sacrificing top-notch players who performed for years in the Ventura County and Conejo symphonies.

“They wanted it to be something overnight,” Lucy Salazar said. “And the only way of doing that was to fire everyone.”

Salazar is one of eight musicians, four from each symphony, who represented the musicians in their fight against New West’s plans for the symphony.

After a bitter battle over the orchestra’s composition, none of these union representatives--most of whom played principals in their own orchestras--were invited to join the New West Symphony.

“We feel that it was very blatant blacklisting or discrimination against the orchestra committee,” said Bonnie Boals, who played second oboe and English horn in the Ventura County Symphony for 17 years and was also a union representative.

When the two orchestras were dissolved in the spring to form the new symphony, Boals, Salazar and their committee colleagues demanded that Ventura County and Conejo symphony players fill all of the orchestra seats, about 70, without being required to audition.

New West refused, saying it wanted to create an entirely new symphony by opening all seats to auditions for any musicians.

In support of the players, the American Federation of Musicians placed New West on an “unfair list,” barring union musicians from playing or auditioning with the symphony. But with no musicians signed up three weeks before the first performance, New West struck a deal with the union last month to offer 40 seats, without audition, to members of the two former symphonies.

Musicians not chosen for this group would then be given priority in blind auditions before remaining seats were opened to all musicians.

The group performing tonight consists of about 36 players from the Ventura County and Conejo symphonies, said Michael Smith, president of the local union. Although 43 were offered seats, some had prior engagements, he said.

About five musicians who played first chair in the original symphonies will be playing tonight, said Markman, who was instrumental in attracting outside candidates with long lists of concert performances.

“Only the best from the Ventura County and Conejo symphonies were chosen,” he said, adding that he didn’t even know the names of the union representatives when he chose the players.

“A person who plays principal on a community orchestra level may be very good in that orchestra,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean they can cut it at this level.”

Although happy to still be playing, more than a dozen New West performers say the omission of their leaders has created an atmosphere of fear in which no one believes that their job is safe.

“It is pretty obvious to those of us chosen that if we open our mouths and say anything and try to support the rights of musicians, they will figure out a way to get us removed,” said one player at Wednesday’s rehearsal, who asked not to be named.

New West has already violated September’s agreement, they say.

According to the agreement, all musicians chosen to stay with the symphony were to be notified by Sept. 15 and given full membership status for the season. But as of Thursday, Ventura County and Conejo symphony musicians said they had been offered contracts only to play for the season’s first performances, tonight and Saturday at the Oxnard Civic Auditorium.

While sympathetic to the musicians’ fears, Lawrence Blonquist, president of New West’s board of directors, says it’s all a big mistake.

After signing the agreement with the American Federation of Musicians last month, New West had less than a week to choose 40 musicians from a roster of about 100. In the rush to create the orchestra in time for the performance, some people were overlooked, announcements were not sent out on time and contracts weren’t finalized, he said.

“The contract will be fulfilled from our point of view,” he said. “We will live up to every part because we entered it in good faith.”

With the union’s support, New West has agreed to rectify these problems before the symphony’s next performance in December.

As part of the agreement, New West officials have agreed to begin collective bargaining with the local union by Dec. 1.

The union is aware of the problems, Smith said. “We are giving them the benefit of the doubt that they are doing the right and reasonable thing in lieu of the time constraints they had.”

Smith also said New West plans to add at least two union representatives to the symphony after this weekend’s performances.

How the tense circumstances bear on the musicians’ performances remains to be seen, Conductor Boris Brott said.

“I felt everybody gave it their all tonight,” he said of the group’s first rehearsal. “It’s like a team; this is the first time out in the field, but we will have to wait for the rest of season to see what emerges.”