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Sinsch, Sandra Free!?
Free orchestras
Category: Essay
Das Orchester 10/2008, Page 10
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Most concert halls have begun to employ the services free orchestras for guest appearances and special events. Sandra Sinsch looks at a number of such ensembles, analysing their advantages – flexibility, less routine, artistic variety, sometimes direct democracy in the running of the ensemble –, but also the risks. At a more in-depth look at the motivations of individual musicians to work with free orchestras three key words emerge: independence, responsibility and self-realization. Yet while many musicians express contentment, questions remain over retirement provisions and part-time jobs. In the third article, Caroline Vongries gives a short overview of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra (MCO): founded in 1997 by members of the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, it has quickly become one of the world's top ensembles, its secret being dedication, a distinct "family spirit", flat hierarchies, and genuine internationalism. Another free orchestra is the Cappella Coloniensis. Formerly part of the broadcaster WDR, it went independent in 2004. A vanguard of historical performance practice since the 1950s, it has recently become orchestra-in-residence at the Philharmonie Essen – an important co-operation for the ensemble's future in an increasingly crowded sector. Free orchestras also face specific financial issues, as Vongries reports: public funding is hardly available; new management styles, often developed from within the ensemble, and innovative ways to generate income are necessary, as shown by the MCO, the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra (FBO), and the basel sinfonietta. The case of the FBO also demonstrates that despite international success as an itinerant ensemble, a permanent home is still an important asset. Together with another ensemble, the orchestra therefore managed to establish its own concert hall in Freiburg. The final article briefly portrays the basel sinfonietta – one of the largest free ensembles in Europe with over 100 musicians, playing a very broad repertoire, but with a focus on contemporary music. Equally unusual is its structure as a registered association with its musicians as members and without a permanent conductor.
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Extract
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 Leseprobe Orch 10_08
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