Monday
I’ve been trying to run a 5K every day for the past few months, ideally first thing in the morning. I find running to be a time to clear my mind and strategise about the day ahead and what I hope to accomplish. Some days are harder than others, but if I can sneak in a run first thing on a Monday morning, the rest of the week seems to be smooth sailing.
Monday mornings are usually a bit lighter in terms of meetings, providing a chance to catch up on emails and get a few personal things in order (like getting a haircut this morning). One of the joys of my job is to cultivate and maintain relationships with important artists. Today, I meet Osmo Vänskä, the Minnesota Orchestra’s Conductor Laureate, for lunch. Osmo was Music Director here for 19 years, and he is deeply embedded in the Minnesota Orchestra family.
After lunch, I have a meeting with our current Music Director, Thomas Søndergård, who has just wrapped up a rehearsal. We try to meet for an hour each week he is here conducting. Our discussions are wide-ranging, covering a variety of topics from artistic planning to donor cultivation. I really enjoy this time together, deepening our partnership in advancing this phenomenal institution. After meeting with our head of development, my afternoon involves making phone calls to donors and board members. I much prefer a phone call to an email, if possible.
Tuesday
I have learned over the course of my career that communication and transparency are essential in building a positive and healthy institutional culture. This morning I attend the weekly meeting with the senior team, which is made up of all the Minnesota Orchestra’s vice presidents. This is a great chance to touch base on a variety of strategic and institutional priorities.
After the meeting, I jump in the car to drive across the Mississippi River to Saint Paul, to attend Arts Advocacy Day at the Minnesota State Capitol. Minnesotan arts organisations are incredibly fortunate to receive funding from the state through the Legacy Amendment, which was passed in 2009. It is important that arts leaders engage with state political leaders each year while the legislature is in session. It is an honour and privilege to represent the Minnesota Orchestra in those conversations and help tell the collective story of the impact the arts have in our communities.
I often joke that I rarely eat alone. Most days my lunches and dinners involve engaging with generous patrons, community leaders and colleagues, and today is no different. After my jaunt to the Capitol, I buzz back to Minneapolis to have lunch with a Minnesota Orchestra board member. It is always inspiring to learn about the special connection our board members have to the orchestra. After lunch, I race back to the hall to meet with our Board Chair, Bill Miller. Bill and I meet for an hour each week to discuss the “business” of the orchestra, and we always share quite a few laughs as well.
The day concludes with dinner with a couple who are extraordinarily generous towards the arts community in the Twin Cities, followed by a special performance of the Minnesota Orchestra with superstar cellist Yo-Yo Ma and our Music Director Thomas Søndergård. Needless to say, Orchestra Hall was packed. I’ve known Yo-Yo since early in my career and have worked with him numerous times throughout the years. He is the embodiment of a “citizen musician” – someone who cares deeply about community and the power of music to unlock the best parts of ourselves.
Given the backdrop of recent immigration enforcement activity, it is meaningful to have Yo-Yo perform so poignantly for an enraptured audience. By the end of the day, even though it is late, I’m still buzzing with adrenaline, so I finish the day, as I do a few times a week, walking on the treadmill at home while catching up on the latest issue of The New Yorker.
Wednesday
Following the Minnesota Orchestra’s devastating lockout between 2012 and 2014, the musicians, board and staff worked tirelessly to repair relationships and communication channels, and established a new institutional cultural mantra known as the “Minnesota Model”. I would describe this model as radical transparency among all stakeholders, and a sense of shared responsibility for the stewardship and future of the Minnesota Orchestra. To that end, many of our board committees include musician representation. Today starts with such a committee meeting, and it was great to see the “Minnesota Model” in action.
Sometimes my days can take unexpected turns, and today, two meetings are rescheduled due to illness, so I happen to have a chunk of time in the middle of the day. Given that it is the first day in months where the temperature has gone above 50 degrees, I decide to use the time for a little self-care and drive down to the Minneapolis lakes to run Bde Mka Ska and Lake of the Isles – a 6.2-mile loop.
After bolting back home for a quick shower and bite to eat, I am back in the office by early afternoon for one-to-one meetings with a couple of team members, followed by a campaign event for the Hennepin County Attorney’s race. As the leader of the state’s largest performing arts institution, I feel it is important to attend a variety of events and engage with leadership across different sectors. The day concludes with the never-ending quest to try and make a dent in my email inbox.
Thursday
Fostering strong relationships is one of the most important aspects of the CEO role in an American orchestra. The ability to nurture and cultivate positive relationships with a diverse set of stakeholders – funders, community leaders, musicians, patrons, staff members – is critical. This morning starts with a meeting with a significant and generous donor, discussing a potential investment in the artistic vision that Thomas Søndergård and I are starting to craft. It is so wonderful to see the passion for and commitment to the Minnesota Orchestra from our community.
After the meeting, I pop down to greet musicians and Thomas just before the morning rehearsal of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8. I love stopping by rehearsals, not only to hear a bit of the music, but also to greet people and have informal conversations with musicians. It is a joy getting to know our musicians and learning about their stories and families. They are a really special group of immensely talented and passionate people.
Following the rehearsal, I have a series of one-to-one meetings with staff members, followed by a photoshoot for some new headshots (NOT my favourite activity). From there, I venture into the Minneapolis skyway system (one of the longest enclosed skyways in the world, which I love exploring) to head to the Minneapolis Club for a drink with Adam Duininck, who runs the Minneapolis Downtown Council. The Downtown Council is an important business alliance, focused on downtown vibrancy and revitalisation. Post-Covid, urban centres have changed considerably with the shift from in-office to remote working arrangements. I believe the future of downtown urban cores really rests in spectator activities, such as arts and culture alongside sporting events. Adam has been a great partner in thinking through some ideas that the Minnesota Orchestra has in terms of how we can contribute to a vibrant downtown Minneapolis.
One of the many things I love about the Twin Cities is the robustness of the cultural scene here, and I love going to other organisations’ concerts and performances. So, it is wonderful to conclude my day taking in the Guthrie Theater’s production of Macbeth, directed by the Guthrie’s former Artistic Director, Joe Dowling. It’s an extraordinary production with exceptional acting, and it was fun to run into three different Minnesota Orchestra board members and our very own Thomas Søndergård.
Friday
In the world of symphony orchestras, it seems like the energy of the week really points to the weekend, when the orchestra is likely to be giving performances. I love this build-up of energy across the organisation. This week, the Minnesota Orchestra has been rehearsing Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony, a majestic work that was championed by former Minnesota Orchestra Music Director Stanislaw Skrowaczewski. This music seems to be part of the Orchestra’s DNA, so I cannot wait for the performances.
After several one-to-one meetings in the morning, I have the opportunity to speak at and attend the Ken and Judy Dayton Laureate Society Annual Luncheon. This is an event that celebrates those who have included the Minnesota Orchestra in their estate plans. To see the entire lobby of Orchestra Hall filled with passionate supporters of the orchestra, as well as many of our musicians, is deeply touching and meaningful. It was also fun to run into David Hyslop, one of my predecessors in this role (from 1991 to 2003), who is always full of great stories and encouragement.
After spending the afternoon catching up on emails, I meet up for an early dinner with Tal Rosner, the fantastic London-based video artist we are working with around a project next season. Tal and I worked together at the New York Philharmonic on a fantastic project with Esa-Pekka Salonen in 2018. I’m so thrilled we can work together again, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how this collaboration between Tal and Thomas unfolds. After dinner, we make our way over to Orchestra Hall. My guest for the concert this evening is Jessica Mallow Gulley, the President and Managing Director of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Jessica started around the same time as me and has been a great colleague across the Mississippi River. I feel grateful to be part of such a supportive and vibrant arts scene in the Twin Cities.
Saturday
Over the past several months, I’ve enjoyed getting to know our Music Director Thomas Søndergård, not just personally, but musically as well. Reflecting on the history of the Minnesota Orchestra, it’s interesting to see how each music director played a pivotal role in shaping the sound and identity of the orchestra – from Dorati to De Waart; Mitropoulos to Vänskä. Thomas brings a real sense of flexibility to the orchestra’s music-making – an approach that integrates so beautifully into the burnished warmth of the Minnesota Orchestra’s sound. Thomas made it clear from one of our first meetings that he wanted to present an opera each season with the orchestra, a wonderful way to expand the ensemble’s flexibility and versatility.
Saturday morning starts with a brunch hosted by a Minnesota Orchestra board member for patrons and potential funders interested in our plans to produce an opera each season. Thomas and I both attend, and it’s wonderful to meet supporters who are passionate about opera and the orchestra.
After brunch, I have the afternoon to run errands around town. While I grew up in the Twin Cities, after being gone for 22 years, I’m relearning my bearings. A wonderful part of being back in the Twin Cities is the proximity to family, so it feels good to be able to host an uncle and cousin at this evening’s performance of Bruckner Eight. It was this cousin’s first time at Orchestra Hall, so it was fun to give a little tour. After the performance, the day ends as some of the best days do – at the legendary Manny’s Steakhouse in downtown Minneapolis for a very satisfying meal.
Sunday
For me, Sunday mornings are the perfect opportunity to move at a slower pace. My favourite TV show for years has been CBS News Sunday Morning, and I’m a devoted reader of the Sunday edition of The New York Times (hard copy). While often this slow pace can go on until the early afternoon, when Thomas is in town conducting, we don’t waste any moment for opportunities to interact with patrons and supporters.
So, mid-morning, I jump in the car and scoop up Thomas, and we drive about 20 miles west of Minneapolis to the beautiful Lafayette Club on Lake Minnetonka (if you are a Prince fan, and have seen Purple Rain, you might recognise that lake…). At one point, the Lafayette Club was the summer home of the railroad baron, James J. Hill, who famously expanded the railroad to the Pacific Northwest in the late 19th century. At the club, Thomas and I meet up for brunch with a long-term board member and her husband and their friend, who is also a supporter of the Minnesota Orchestra. It is always wonderful to hear our board members and supporters talk about how meaningful the Minnesota Orchestra is to their lives, and the joy it has brought them, sometimes over several decades.
After making the drive back to Minneapolis and dropping Thomas off, I head outside for a walk along the Mississippi River. In many ways, Minneapolis is a town that was born because of the mighty Mississippi – you see remnants of Minneapolis’s past in the flour mills that still sit along the river, many of which have now been converted into housing or other cultural facilities. I love seeing the old “Pillsbury” and “Gold Medal Flour” signs adorn these structures. After enjoying the outdoors (and unseasonably warm temperatures), it’s time to head back inside to catch up on correspondence and prepare for the week. Monday morning always seems to come too quickly!
