Perhaps He Should Be Development Director, Then?

Earlier this month, Seattle Symphony music director Gerard Schwarz received a three-year contract extension, which will carry him through his 26th season with the orchestra. But when you talk to people inside the organization, it sounds as if the reasons for keeping Schwarz at the helm have very little to do with music. He has been sued by his own musicians, accused of having little to say musically, and while there can be no doubt that Schwarz has been a masterful raiser of money, one observer says that “The [symphony] board is already a laughingstock around the country for allowing itself to become hostage to the fund-raising abilities of its music director.”