Letter to Laurence Vogel
Paul Lyddon
February 13, 1985
Dear Sir:
I am writing to you in your capacity as Chairman of the Board of the Honolulu Symphony to express my concern over the deteriorating situation in the orchestra. First I should say that I am a musician, Professor of Music at the University of Hawaii. I have known Maestro Johanos fairly well off and on since the days we were both students at the Eastman School of Music in the 1950's. Recently (1983) we traveled together for a month in the Peoples' Republic of China. Also I have had a professional relationship with the orchestra since 1976 when I came to Hawaii. I have appeared as piano soloist on four occasions (with Maestro La Marchina in 1976 and Maestro Rothstein in 1977, 1978, and 1979) and I have also been a member of the orchestra on a "casual" basis several times when the orchestra's regular pianist B.B. Freitas could not appear. Perhaps these facts will lend a little authority to what I am about to say.
In any orchestra as in any corporation there must be one person at the helm to whom the "buck passes". That person necessarily has a good deal of power including the power to hire and fire. To prevent excesses both the symphonic and corporate worlds have been forced to deal with unionism to insure an equitable system of checks and balances. I know little of our local musicians's union not being a member, but I suspect that it is primarily interested in the problems of the "Waikiki musician" rather than the symphony musician, if for no other reason than the symphony musicians are probably a smaller part of the membership. In any case and for whatever reason its power seems inadequate to deal effectively with the present continually deteriorating situation which is, of course, the capricious firing of players that Maestro Johanos chooses to replace. A terminal contract is indeed appropriate if a musician proves to be incompetent and can be replaced by a better musician for the same or less money. But I know as a musician myself that such former members (all fired) as Beverly LeBeck (principal cello), Richard Kashanski (tympani), Les Petrere (violin) and such former members (all harassed out of the orchestra) as Tom Boyd (principal oboe), Armen Garabedian (associate concert master) and Eugene Bondi (associate principal cello) were not incompetent! Indeed they were all first rate musicians who could not be (and were not) replaced for the same or less money. This year there are more, the most shocking to me being Lois Russell (percussion) and Herb Ward (principal bass). How long will this go on? How long will the board tolerate this? This is not building an orchestra as is claimed, it is mortally wounding it. The Honolulu Symphony has plenty of problems without the morale of its loyal respected players being destroyed or replaced with a sullen and fearful attitude in this annual slaughter. And for what I ask? So that our orchestra becomes a training orchestra for others on the mainland composed of young, eager, inexperienced players grateful for their first job who will leave when a better one is obtained? Examples are Greg Fulkerson (concert master), Bill Jackson (principal clarinetist), and Duncan Patton (tympani). So that an insecure man can surround himself with young, adoring faces and be rid of older, sometimes sour faces which occasionally express irritation (or even more) at the not infrequent displays of imcompetence on the podium?
I vigorously protest, and feel that it is your responsibility to address this problem and solve it.
Yours truly,
Paul Lyddon
