Music Critics Association of North America

A message from Don Rosenberg (December 21, 2008):

            I’ve been terribly remiss in thanking you, valued colleagues and members of the Music Critics Association of North America, for your remarkable support during the past months. It has been a whirlwind time for all of us. We’ve witnessed sweeping changes in our field that will require major advocacy on our part if we expect to continue playing a significant role in cultural discussions of the 21^st century. At this point, where we will do so is anybody’s guess. No one could have known even a year ago that our profession – indeed, the world – would be so turned upside down. In any case, your efforts on my behalf are appreciated more than I can possibly articulate. (A tongue-tied critic? Now, that’s a concept.) As you may know, the letter you sent in October is Exhibit A in the complaint I filed on December 11, 2008. I hope the letter will have more than a little impact as this adventure moves forward. The issues involved are too important not to be aired and debated. So, I thank you again and again. As we enter what I hope will be a better year for everyone, I extend warm greetings to you and yours.    

• 1955 Carnegie Hall New York (American Opera Society) with Eileen Farrell; Conductor: Arnold Gamson
• 1958 Cincinnati with Farrell; Conductor: Josef Krips
• 1958 San Francisco Opera with Farrell
• 1958 and 1959 Dallas Civic Opera with Callas
• 1968 New York (American Opera Society) with Gwyneth Jones
• 1967 Dallas Civic Opera with Magda Olivero
• 1968 Kansas City with Magda Olivero
• 1970 Hartford, Millard Auditorium with Lee Venore; Conductor: Moshe Paranov
• 1974 New York City Opera with three different Medeas: Marisa Galvany, Maralin Niska, Janice Yoes
• 1982 New York City Opera with Grace Bumbry
• 1997 Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center New York (Opera Quotannis) with Phyllis Treigle; Conductor: Bart Folse

Music Critics Association of North America

MCA Educational Activities, Inc.

722 Dulaney Valley Road Suite 259. Baltimore MD 21204

musiccritics@aol.com     -     www.mcana.org

October 21, 2008

Susan Goldberg, editor

Cleveland Plain Dealer

Plain Dealer Plaza
1801 Superior Avenue East

Cleveland, Ohio 44114-21989

Dear Ms. Goldberg,

The decision to reassign our colleague, Don Rosenberg, and remove him from the duty of reviewing the Cleveland Orchestra has shocked the journalistic and music worlds. We wish to add our voices to what has become an international chorus of protest and concern. (Neither Mr. Rosenberg nor Zachary Lewis was consulted or involved in the preparation of this letter.)

Mindful of your authority as editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and your description of Mr. Rosenberg’s case as an internal personnel matter, we nonetheless must urge you to rescind your action. The silencing of a critic not only challenges the foundation of our particular profession, but weakens the foundation of journalism itself. It is not at all hyperbolic to see this case as a threat to a free and independent press.

We ask you to consider this theoretical scenario: A newspaper hires a commentator to give opinions about the local mayor and city council on a regular basis; the writer's work draws fire from the politicians and their supporters; the newspaper relieves the writer of his post. No self-respecting publication would ever do such a thing, but your treatment of Mr. Rosenberg has unavoidably put the Plain Dealer in this unflattering light.

There has been much speculation about pressure, overt or subtle, being exerted on you by forces outside the newsroom. We do not wish to add to that speculation, but many of us are certainly aware of what can happen in any community when some people find fault with a music critic. Whatever prompted your move, it has led to consequences that we cannot imagine you would have ever wanted.

In our view, a highly respected and qualified writer (who served for two terms as president of the Music Critics Association of North America) has been subjected to an unwarranted and unreasonable reassignment; a newspaper with a long history of service to its community has had its integrity and honesty questioned; and the free and unfettered public discussion that music criticism tries to foster has been unduly hampered.

We ask you to restore Mr. Rosenberg’s critical voice and the credibility of the Plain Dealer.

The following names include the board of directors of the Music Critics Association of North America and many of our members, as well as other music journalists from around the country who wished to join us in support of Don Rosenberg.

• Dorothy Andries, classical music critic, Pioneer Press (Glenview, IL)
• Michael Anthony, Opera Canada; Opera magazine; former music critic, Minneapolis Star Tribune
• Margaret M. Barela, American Record Guide
• James Bash, Opera magazine, The Columbian
• Janet E. Bedell, program annotator (Baltimore Symphony Orchestra)
• *Martin Bernheimer, Financial Times; Opera magazine; music critic, Los Angeles Times (1965-1996)
• Susan Brodie, American Record Guide
• Clarke Bustard, Letter V: the Virginia Classical Music Blog
• Scott Cantrell, music critic, Dallas Morning News
• Sedgwick Clark, editor, Musical America International Directory of the Performing Arts
• Robert Commanday, music critic (retired) San Francisco Chronicle; Editor (retired) San Francisco Classical Voice; former president, Music Critics Association of North America
• Robert Croan, senior editor and former classical music critic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
• Wynne Delacoma, freelance; classical music critic, Chicago Sun-Times (1991-2006)
• Roy C. Dicks, contracted freelance classical music critic, Raleigh (NC) News & Observer
• Dimitri Drobatschewsky, Arizona Republic (Phoenix), Opera Magazine
• Andrew Druckenbrod, music critic, Pittsburgh Post Gazette
• Jeremy Eichler, music critic, Boston Globe
• Susan Elliott, editor, MusicalAmerica.com
• Mary Ann Feldman, Minnesota Orchestra Showcase Magazine, Grand Teton Music Festival
• Robert Finn, music critic, Cleveland Plain Dealer (1964-1992)
• John Fleming, performing arts critic, St Petersburg Times
• Richard Freed, program annotator (National Symphony Orchestra)
• Gil French, concert editor, American Record Guide
• Janos Gereben, www.sfcv.org, San Francisco
• Richard S. Ginell, Los Angeles Times; American Record Guide
• Peter Goodman, assistant professor, Department of Journalism, Media Studies and Public Relations, Hofstra University; former critic, Newsday, New York Newsday
• Paul Hertelendy, coordinator and critic of www.artssf.com; former music critic, San Jose Mercury News
• Paul Horsley, former music critic, Kansas City Star
• Michael Huebner, Birmingham News
• Barbara Jepson, contributor, The Wall Street Journal "Leisure & Arts"
• Leslie Kandell, freelance
• Mark Kanny, classical music critic, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
• Laura Kennelly, arts columnist, Morning Journal (Lorain)
• Joshua Kosman, music critic, San Francisco Chronicle
• John W. Lambert, Classical Voice of North Carolina, Inc.
• Marty Lash, Door County Advocate
• Jens F. Laurson, Classical Critic-at-Large, WETA-FM, Washington D.C.
• George Loomis, Financial Times; International Herald Tribune
• Robert Markow, Opera Magazine, Opera News, American Record Guide, program annotator (Montreal Symphony)
• Martin Mayer, retired critic, Esquire Magazine (1951-1975); Opera Magazine (1984-2002)
• Anne Midgette, classical music critic, The Washington Post
• Sarah Bryan Miller, music critic, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
• Frank J. Oteri, editor, New Music Box
• *Tim Page, University of Southern California; former classical music critic, Washington Post
• Andrew Patner, Classical Music Critic, Chicago Sun-Times, Critic-at-Large, 98.7WFMT Radio Chicago and wfmt.com
• James L Paulk, contributor, Das Opernglas
• Alvin H, Reiss, editor, Arts Management
• Louise Austin Remmey, former contributor to Washington Post, Baltimore Sun
• Alex Ross, music critic, The New Yorker
• Georgia Rowe, former music critic, Contra Costa Times; Opera News, San Jose Mercury News, San Francisco Examiner
• Jason Victor Serinus, Opera News, American Record Guide, Stereophile
• Tim Smith, music critic, Baltimore Sun
• David Stabler, classical music critic, The Oregonian
• Elaine Strauss, US 1 Newspaper (Princeton); Chamber Music; Clavier
• Perry Tannenbaum, American Record Guide; Creative Loafing (Charlotte, NC)
• Richard Todd, Ottawa Citizen
• Anthony Tommasini, chief classical music critic, The New York Times
• Herman Trotter, music critic emeritus, The Buffalo News; American Record Guide
• J. J. Van Vlasselaer, music critic, Le Droit (Ottawa)
• John von Rhein, music critic, Chicago Tribune
• S. James Wegg, managing editor, JWR (Canada)
• David Wright, freelance; former program annotator (New York Philharmonic)

            *           Recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in Criticism

                MCANA OFFICERS

                President                                 Tim Smith                             Baltimore Sun

                Vice President                         Barbara Jepson                   Wall St. Journal

                Secretary                                J.J. Van Vlasselaer             LeDroit

                Treasurer                                Paul Horsley                         freelance

                Members at Large –

                                                                Andrew Druckenbrod        Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

                                                                Joshua Kosman                   San Francisco Chronicle

                                                                Zachary Lewis                     Freelance

                                                                Sarah Bryan Miller               St. Louis Post-Dispatch

                                                                Frank J. Oteri                        NewMusicBox

                Ex-Officio

                                                                Donald Rosenberg              Cleveland Plain Dealer

 A message to MCANA members from Don Rosenberg -

In the brief period since word of my demotion at The Plain Dealer began to circulate, I’ve been overwhelmed by support and concern from MCANA colleagues and others throughout the world. I can’t adequately tell you how gratifying and euphoric, amid the obvious challenges, it’s been to know that more than a few people out there are passionate about the beloved art to which we devote ourselves. Who would have thought that the reassignment of a classical music critic in middle America could generate such discussion? For this, we must first thank our president, Tim Smith, whose boundless integrity and strength prompted him to write the blog that lit the fire under the issue. I’m certainly not the only person who’s found the ensuing reaction to be – what’s the word? – astonishing. The observations have focused attention on many crucial aspects of our profession, from critical independence and conflict of interest to freedom of the press and freedom of speech. Even with print journalism struggling to maintain a presence, we must continue to focus on maintaining the highest ideals and standards, whatever the consequences. It won’t be easy in this conflicted environment. But we critics are made of hardy stock. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be engaged in a field that renews and rewards our spirits, rather than boosts our bank accounts. I feel extremely privileged to stand among you. 

MCANA letter, composed by Tim Smith and sent from the MCANA Board, posted on the Romenesko site
- CLICK HERE

Links of interest to MCANA Members

Links of interest to MCANA Members have been added to our site.  To open a web site, just scroll on the word "Latest Updates of Interest" from the main menu and select "Web sites of Interest" from the drop-down menu.  You can click on any hyperlink shown to open the web sites.

If MCANA Members would like to share any site of interest with other members, please e-mail the web address to Robert Leininger at musiccritics@aol.com

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SPECIAL MCANA MEMBER DISCOUNTS!

Special discounts are available for current MCANA Members for MusicalAmerica.com (40% off the annual subscription fee) and for Opera News (50% Discount on one year subscription.)

Contact Robert Leininger at musiccritics@aol.com for required codes to receive discounts.

CRITICS SURVEY

FIRST EVER SURVEY OF CLASSICAL MUSIC CRITICS IN U.S. and CANADA RELEASED TODAY

        The Music Critics Association of North America and Columbia University's National Arts Journalism Program jointly released today "The Classical Music Critic: A Survey of Classical Music Critics at General Interest and Specialized News Publications in America."

         The 54-page report, analyzed by Princeton University's Lawrence McGill, is available in PDF format by link in the console at the top of this page, or at www.najp.org, and includes information about the numbers, demographics, educational backgrounds, work situations, ethical beliefs and musical tastes of those writing about classical music today.

KEY FINDINGS: 
        *The average classical music critic is a white, 52-year-old male with a graduate degree. BUT, 26% of all critics writing are female, and their numbers are equally spread from the youngest to the most experienced in the field.

        *Four out of five critics agree that "we can be proud of the new classical works that we have created in Canada and the U.S. over the past 25 years." However, more than half of the critics surveyed disagreed that "composers are breaking genuinely new ground these days."

        *There is a generational gap between younger critics - those 46 and younger- and older writers. In a word, "modern" and "American" are in among the younger writers, who tend to be more open to a wider range of contemporary composers, while masters like Handel, Wagner, Dvorak and Schumann are out.

        *John Adams was the most liked contemporary composer; Mozart was the most liked historical composer.

To view the complete CRITICS SURVEY, please scroll on the word NEWSLETTER at the top left of this page and select "CRITICS SURVEY" from the drop down list, or click on the image in this article.

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"Shifting Ears" Essays

Two essays, one by John Rockwell and one by Joe Horowitz, who were keynote speakers at October's Shifting Ears Symposium, have been added to the MCANA web site.  Scroll over the word "NEWSLETTER" at the top left of this page and select "SHIFTING EARS" from the drop down menu to view the essays.

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