Further Thoughts on SFS Retirements

Davies Symphony Hall

Photo by Lisa Hirsch

We know from the number of retirements this season and coming up that San Francisco Symphony will ultimately be looking for the following:

1. Principal flute
2. Associate principal flute
3. Associate principal clarinet/Eb clarinet
4. Clarinet
5. Bassoon
6. Bass trombone
7. Section percussion
8. Section violin (3)
9. Section viola (2)
10. Principal cello
11. Section cello
12. Section bass (2)

That's....sixteen (16) players, including two principals. There's no way that the orchestra can hold auditions in one season for replacing them all, so they'll be setting priorities. 

I would guess that principal cello and principal flute are the first jobs that will be filled by audition, because those players are the leaders of their sections and because there were auditions, now canceled, scheduled for those positions. But there will still have to be players sitting in those chairs on opening night.

The cello spot will be in the good hands of associate principal Peter Wyrick, who has filled it in the past during Michael Grebanier's absences, and when Wyrick isn't available, assistant principal Amos Yang will fill the seat. They are both excellent players and give Esa-Pekka Salonen room to find just the right principal cello.

The associate principal flute, Robin McKee, won't be stepping into the principal chair, held by Tim Day, because she is also retiring. It's possible that Day and McKee will postpone their retirements*; the announced timing suggested that they wanted to be part of Salonen's first season as music director. If they do retire, I am doubtful that both Linda Lukas and Carolyn Payne (piccolo and fourth flute) would move up temporarily.

Over in the clarinets, the middle of the section is retiring. These are Luis Baez and David Neuman. Here It's possible that Jerome Simas will move up in that section, and he might decide to audition for one of the open seats.

I can't really speak to the open bassoon and trombone seats; I don't know those sections as well as I know the other wind sections.

In any event, on opening night, there need to be players in these seats. Here are the options:

1. Fill seats with current SFS players (see above for some possibilities).

2. Fill seats with freelancers, local or otherwise. For example, oboist Chris Gaudi was in the orchestra for several years because of Jonathan Fisher's extended departure and William Bennett's death.

3. Fill seats with guest artists who are on leave from other orchestras.

I wonder whether there are cases where a replacement player, as in cases 2 and 3 above, wound up being hired into an orchestra permanently. Presumably, they'd have to go through the audition process, but there's nothing like seeing someone in a particular position to know how they will function there.**

Something we don't know is whether other top-tier US orchestras will have a similar number of retirements; I haven't seen a personnel announcement for the SF Opera orchestra, for example, although we do know that co-principal French horn Mark Almond has been named associate principal French horn of SFS. We also know that SFS principal clarinet Carey Bell was principal at SFO before crossing the street, so I would expect some audition participants to come from the opera orchestra. SFS has a longer season and plays a much more varied repertory than SFO's orchestra, with higher pay, so there are attractions.

* Day and McKee are married, so it's not a surprise that they'd retire together. They were also formerly principal and associate principal flutes at the Baltimore Symphony.

** I work for a company where you can be a temporary employee, do a great job, and still not get hired permanently for arbitrary reasons, even though you're obviously a good fit and extremely capable.