Jan Ford discusses some guiding principles that underpin successful residencies.
As a regional agency for developing and supporting orchestral music, Eastern Orchestral Board (EOB) has helped establish numerous orchestral residencies over the past ten years.
These have involved major symphony and chamber orchestras in places ranging from large cities to dispersed rural communities in Eastern England and the East Midlands. What unites these residencies is the sense of local ownership and pride they generate, not to mention the opportunities for local people to hear and perform alongside musicians at the top of their profession.
Guiding principles
The main consideration is to create a firm foundation from which a relationship (surely a preferable term to residency) can be established. A successful relationship involves establishing a continuing orchestral presence, an imprint, in a community, contributing to it artistically, socially and economically. Workshops by individual musicians and time spent by the management getting to know the local arts scene complement full orchestral events and help to build that sense of relationship. Parachuting an orchestra in a few times a year doesn’t work.
Long-term relationships with orchestras are developed for many reasons. They can be for audience building, to enhance the local music scene, to raise the profile of the locality, as a tool for developing social cohesion, or for educational purposes. In practice, relationships often combine several objectives. What is most important is to ensure the relationship springs from and meets the needs of the community. This involves local consultation from the outset to establish the objectives of the residency with local authority partners and a range of groups in the community.
There are now orchestral residencies in every county that EOB covers – potentially reaching a quarter of the population of England. While most of the orchestras are based in London, the indigenous professional chamber orchestras – Sinfonia ViVA, Britten Sinfonia and English Sinfonia – play a major role. In fact, in Nottingham, Sinfonia ViVA and the Hallé Orchestra have formed a unique partnership to deliver concerts and education work in the city and country.
Lasting impressions
The most enduring and successful relationships are characterised by attention to detail and preparation undertaken by both the orchestra and local partners. Of particular importance is respect for and understanding of the existing cultural assets – local musicians, groups, venues and traditions. In Colchester, where the Academy of St Martin in the Fields has had a three-year relationship, Cultural Service Manager Kim Jameson commissioned an audit of arts activities in the borough long before an orchestra was appointed. She comments, “Knowing that the music community in Colchester was already diverse and with immense talent, we had very specific and ambitious aims for the residency project. We wanted it to provide a focus and a catalyst for the development of a long-term vision for music-making including both performance and outreach. We wanted it to do this by enabling local musicians and facilitating their development. In this way a sustainable legacy of skills and experience would live on in our music community after the end of the project.”
As part of the planning process, EOB helps its local partners, usually led by the local authority, to prepare a brief to select an orchestra. Ian Lush, former Managing Director of the London Mozart Players, which has a number of residencies, stresses the importance of a fair and open tendering process. “If the tender document is well put together it enables the orchestra to put together a bid based on reality rather than speculation.”
An inclusive consultative process is fundamental to building an effective relationship. Organisations like EOB know the work of professional orchestras, yet can remain impartial and are in a position to advise member local authorities as to which orchestras might be best placed to achieve the goals of a residency at any particular point in time.
Measuring success
The critical success factors can vary according to the aims and circumstances of each residency relationship. Thinking about evaluation at the incubation stage may seem strange, but it does help define the desired impact of the relationship. This also enables all partners to be clear about the objectives of the relationship from the outset. A residency should definitely bring something new whilst enhancing what already exists, and of course there should always be a legacy in terms of developing new skills and opportunities.
Clearly, long-term relationships are advantageous for orchestras because they guarantee a level of work and allow them to plan well ahead and take a developmental approach. At the same time, residency relationships can be very labour-intensive in their management and delivery. This can be challenging for orchestras that are maintaining simultaneous relationships in different places. However, there’s little doubt that all the preparation pays off. When a relationship works well, everyone in the community can benefit.
Jan Ford is Marketing Manager of the Eastern Orchestral Board. t: 020 7629 9601;
e: jan@eob.org.uk; w: http://www.eob.org.uk