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Discord will not silence orchestra
By JIM ROSS
© St. Petersburg Times, LECANTO -- Although the Central Florida Symphony has lost its music director/conductor, Citrus County residents shouldn't lose heart: Symphony leaders say the show will go on. How? That part remains unclear. The new president of the group's governing board said the organization will bring in guest conductors to lead the musicians through this season, which will be its 25th. Meanwhile, the former president of that governing board -- along with the former music director/conductor -- plans to assemble a group to start its own orchestra, using the same musicians. The former board president is Citrus resident Lionel King, a well-known Citrus County music teacher who is no stranger to orchestras, having performed and conducted in them. "Don't lose faith in a symphony orchestra for Citrus County," he said last week. "We want to make sure that we can maintain quality level performance for the sake of the community," is how the former music director/conductor, Susan Robinson, put it. Robinson resigned Aug. 17 after eight years of service with the symphony, which performs in Citrus and Marion counties. "I find the administration of the orchestra to be moving the organization in another direction," she wrote in her resignation letter. She also cited some artistic differences with the board. The board accepted the resignation Aug. 27. King, who supports Robinson, stepped down as board president. He said he disagreed with the board factions that he said tried to micromanage the operation. The new board president is Mona Wiegand. Last week, she said the season will go on, despite the unrest. In fact, the first rehearsal is scheduled for Sept. 10. Wiegand said a board committee is seeking guest conductors for the concerts. Meanwhile, she has been calling orchestra musicians to explain what's happening, and a search for a full-time music director/conductor soon will begin. Wiegand said she had no comment on King's plan. Robinson had plenty to say about it. "We were all hoping, right until the middle of August, that this could be resolved," she said. But to no avail. Robinson said the new orchestra that she and King want to develop will have many of the same musicians. "We like to think of this as a brand-new start. I think it's important to think of this as a whole new venture," she said. Robinson also had a special message for Citrus County supporters: "I want them to absolutely know they're not going to be abandoned." Ted Watson, immediate past president of the Central Florida Symphony Board, said he was only generally familiar with King and Robinson's plan for their own orchestra. "Whatever the other group does will be completely separate from the Central Florida Symphony," he said. "We still have an active board here. We're going to go on with the season."
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From today's Hernando Times |
