Jeremy Lamb (JL): So, how are you feeling about the state of the orchestra? 

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John Clapp (JC): Good! I'm pleased with how everyone is being responsive and cooperative, and generally just trying to figure out how to get through this thing and come out of the other side and still be ready to go for next year. And it was very encouraging to see the vote turn out in favor of moving the summer season to August. It took two weeks and three versions to figure it all out, but it was all friendly and responsive.

 

JL: Has it been your experience that this has brought the different branches of the organization together?

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JC: Oh absolutely! It's amazing how this distance somehow brings you closer together. I've seen some really good work since we've been apart. One of the biggest things from transitioning from being on stage to being in the staff is realizing what am I really doing and how does it affect people beyond the walls of that stage. When I'm sitting next to somebody [in the audience] and they jump because something was really loud and unexpected, or they feel warmth when something's really legato etc., you can't really understand that on the stage. It's nice to be able to do that and I just try to tell you guys that you're doing great work and it is more impactful than you think.

 

JL: Are you concerned at all about whether people are going to be ready to sit next to each other once we start back up, even after they've lifted the shelter-in-place order? 

 

JC: We expect it'll be gradual. There will be people who are very eager to see the orchestra, and they'll be there. And there will be people who are like ‘maybe I’ll wait a bit, or maybe I’ll change my seat’ and it will take some time to build it back up, but one thing we're trying to do with this summer season in August is that we're showing the best of what we do. That's why the series that are in there make a lot of sense; you've got a classical, a pops, a family, a brewery, a film, and maybe some people who haven't gone to hear the orchestra but who are hyper-focused on going out to do something, this is a good opportunity - look at what we have to offer.

 

JL: Yes, I hope this turns out to be a silver lining from this crisis. 

 

JC: Yes, I hope so, too. People come together in times of crisis. I'm so excited that when we come back in August there'll be this crazy energy in the air. It doesn't really matter how many people will be there, it's the fact that we're together, and that there'll be this appreciation of 'you didn't forget about us, we're not going to forget about you.’ 

 

JL: I'm curious, after seeing how other orchestras had such different reactions to the crisis - with some of them dropping their musicians like hot-potatoes! - I'm curious what that decision-making process was like for you guys. 

 

JC: For us it's always a tough decision. Before there was any type of relief mentioned we were thinking about how to keep this ball rolling, and we didn't know. People were saying we were going to be back in four weeks, so we thought of it more as, well, there are a lot of things put in place, we have managed the house really well, we have some ways to get around this, we have some people I think we could turn to, let's not just knee-jerk reaction cancel things. It’s not easy, let me tell you. My job has not been simple (both laugh). However, if you have a good relationship [with the musicians] you never have to resort to unilateral decision making. There is always a way forward if both sides are willing to talk.

 

JL: How is it possible that Charlotte Symphony, with our comparatively small endowment, is keeping afloat, while these behemoths are not? 

 

JC: Some of it is that we were in a good financial position coming into this, and some of that is a credit to Mary [Deissler]. Secondly, we've never really outgrown what we are. The core membership from twenty years ago, when I played here, is about the same. Salaries are different (both laugh), and if you come to my office, my contract is on the wall, you can see what they paid me. I framed it, it was my first job [on bassoon]. As an orchestra, it’s toughest if your budget is way up high, or it is way down low. If you're way down low, and you only have a few concerts a year, that is your entire budget, and if this situation fell during then, there's no way to do anything. Those per-service orchestras are in trouble and they really need this bailout.  If you're way up high, you have so much financial commitment out there, that's not good either. But if you're in the middle, it's not that bad. So it's interesting; being in the middle isn't a bad place to be.  

 

The other thing that I don't think we've talked about is that the board has been very supportive throughout. I haven't gotten one iota of negativity from our board, not a moment of panic, and I think that this board really does get the value of the musicians. Now that I've been here a couple of years and I’ve sat in the meetings and I have relationships with a lot of board members, I feel like I'm at a point where I can say that I really see that support. And we have enough diversity right now in terms of age, race, financial backgrounds, and resources; it's a very different-looking board, but I feel like this board is listening to the story of what we do and why we do it, which makes it much more interesting for them to support. If we're going to have a comprehensive campaign and get this endowment rolling, we need that kind of attitude. 

 

JL: Well we're all excited about next season - lots of Beethoven!

 

JC: There sure is! Some of that is left over from the Beethoven-anniversary, and what I really liked about it is that Christopher [Warren-Green] and myself were able to sit down and look at ways to do it differently, or to work around it in a way that makes it feel fresher. If you're going to do the Beethoven Violin Concerto, which I just love, by the way; to me that's a symphony, a symphony which just happens to have an amazing violin part. The writing is so good — it's amazing what he did with that piece! — that was a great opportunity to put something in there like the Shostakovich [Symphony No. 9] and create a totally different flavor of concert. Keeping the focus on the female composers too: Vivian Fung, Jennifer Higdon, Joan Tower, Gabriela Lena Frank. Next year, I think it’s going to be great because of what's built around the Beethoven.