Customer Reviews

And the Band Stopped Playing: The Rise and Fall of the San Jose Symphony

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This fall semester I've been teaching a college survey course called "A Night at the Symphony," dealing not only with the usual music-appreciation topics but also the symphony orchestra as an institution. The book has been on the top of our required reading list. It offers a great springboard for student discussions of American orchestras and their links to civic life, economics, demography, politics and power -- areas that don't leap to mind when studying sonata form or Romantic orchestration (!), but are critical to understanding the symphonic world today. I recommend the book highly.

This case history of an American symphony orchestra should be required reading for all musicians (including conservatory students), personnel at state and federal arts agencies, and grantmakers in every locality that has a professional symphony orchestra. In fact, anyone interested in the health of our cultural institutions will get something out of it. It's a fine presentation of a sad story that could have, and should have, had a different outcome.

D. Nimetz (New York City)

This book offers a clear and concise analysis of the many challenges that face arts nonprofits in general, and classical music organizations (not just symphony orchestras) in particular. The journey the reader takes through the good times and then ultimate demise of the SJS is a cautionary tale from which many lessons can be learned.

Dr. Wolf and Ms. Glaze do not bemoan the death of classical music (the ever-popular dirge), but instead touch on the crux of the debate: Arts organizations must find a way to remain relevant, vital and of value to their communities.

While this excerpt is specifically addressing the choice of music director, it serves as an example that aptly sums up the broader mission and vision that is part of the book and should be taken to heart by us all:

"Looking at the musical excellence of a conductor, his respect by colleagues, and his conducting experience in world capitals is certainly crucial. But not considering equally carefully an individual's ability to relate to the community and be a spokesperson for the orchestra in a variety of community settings--from schools to city council chambers to service clubs--is a mistake (p.48)."

This is a book to learn from and should be distributed widely to musicians, board members, and funders alike.

I agree with Mr. Valliere's comments that all of us who care about music, classical music, and its great power, should be willing to ask ourselves the tough questions that Glaze and Wolf ask. At the end of the day, it is not about sustaining the "delivery systems" status quo, but about making the music live for current and new generations. Wolf and Glaze challenge us to examine the status quo critically and that is essential. Bravo for this important and well-researched addition to the too slim bookshelf on the classical field.

Wolf and Glaze offer a clear, thorough, and ultimately sobering analysis of the demise of one American orchestra. It is food for thought in dozens of mid-sized cities across the country. It should also be required reading in orchestra management offices and union locals everywhere. This book will be unpopular with those who prefer to whistle in the dark about the threat to the life of classical music performance in the United States. It is thought-provoking and a little stunning to those of us value the musical institutions in our communities. Read this book, and get an extra copy for anyone you know who sits on the boards of the arts organizations in your town.

I read this book with utter fascination. While certain conclusions will surely rattle some cages, Glaze's and Wolf's candid assessment of the demise of the San Jose Symphony is both troubling and refreshing. By raising the question "Who Needs Symphony Orchestras?" the authors have courageously unmasked the elephant that many would prefer not to see. Of course, the question "Who Needs Symphonic Music?" is a very different question; suggesting that the music may be immortal, but the delivery systems are not. This is a seminal and incisive work.

This book offers a valuable analysis, rare in its candor and transparency, of how an important orchestra can lose control of its destiny and forfeit the loyalty of its community. By extension, this book is a useful primer for anyone wanting to understand how performing arts organizations succeed or fail, and the creativity necessary to satisfy both artistic and community imperatives.

This self-published tiny book can be read in about 30 minutes, after which the reader has learned nothing new about the reasons for the sad economic state of classical music in the United States. Also, the writing style is dull, pedantic and
preachy. If you really want to understand the symphony orchestra problems that currently exist I'd suggest the books by Horowitz, Morgenstern, or Lebrecht. This offering pales in the light of those.