The great James Krummenacher has announced his retirement after 50 seasons with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

The orchestra is yet to announce whether it will decide to fill the position.

According to what I've read, the PSO is in a hire freeze untill the current contract expires in 2008.


Allan

I get the distinct impression that the ____________ they are refering to plays in the Boston Sym. If the mods would care to pull the plug on this one too...





Edit: Cleaning up a refwerence to a troll dropping

If the mods would care to pull the plug on this one too...


I appreciate the sentiment, but i think it's time to start evicting the trolls from under the bridge instead. :)

Now, if anyone has any actual useful information to pass on about the Pittsburgh auditions, please share it.

jeff grubbs is also leaving the orchestra this season---the orchestra will fill the position(s) in 2007.

Where's Jeff going?

What I have heard is that Jeff Grubbs is going to be head of the jazz department at the University of Illinois. He is a a great jazzer as well as a solid orchestra player (and a super nice guy, from what a few guys I know who have studied with him have said, although I can't say from personal experience), so good for him!

Rumor around the town has it that the Pittsburgh Symphony is going to audition for only one spot, so they will have only eight full-time bass players. I hope that this isn't true; it's a really great orchestra, but they don't get the recognition that they deserve. And their starting pay was something like $98,600 last year, even after they made concession (according to their contract, it was supposesd to go up to $101k and change!), so it's a damned good gig to have. I really hope that they have two openings, but... what I have been told is that the audition won't be until the end of next season.

Just to chime in...

I'm not an orchestra guy -- jazz only...

Jeff Grubbs is a wonderful fellow and a heckuva player. I was lucky to hang with him on a lesson last year when I first moved to town. We have a mutual friend in pianist Chip Stephens -- who I believe has been in Illinois teaching as well.

If Jeff leaves town, it will be a big loss for us here -- but a big gain for where he ends up.

Sorry -- not very relevant info on the audition thread. But you are right about the salary...Pittsburgh has a strong orchestra...hope it continues to draw good people and ample funding.