Four years ago, Jay’s* partner was accepted to medical school in a university town with a great music school and many fine community music organizations. Jay was very happy. He got a job as the music director at a church with a wonderful organ and choir and was soon hired as the assistant music director for the premier community chorus with many university faculty members as members. He wasn’t called the “assistant music director” to begin with since Felicity*, the music director (a retired director of choral activities from the university), felt he was “only” accompanying, and should be called the “pianist” of the group, not the “accompanist” or even the “collaborative pianist” but the plain, ‘ol pianist. Felicity’s attitude then should have tipped him off.
At the end of his first year with the chorus, he made a bit of a stink. It was after he threatened to resign they agreed to a title change and a slight raise. He was doing all sorts of things besides accompanying, so was made assistant music director much to the displeasure of Felicity. She didn’t want to give up one bit of prestige being Music Director but was fine with Jay doing portions of her job without recognition. Jay does respect Felicity and her body of work but she has become difficult in the last few years. She is not always on top of things musically or administratively, so the bulk of those things have fallen to him.
It’s been almost four years of cleaning up after Felicity and doing the dirty work of the chorus; with more details left to him as the years go by. By rights, Jay thinks he should be called the Executive Director or the Music Director de facto and not the assistant M.D. but to convince the chorus board would take far longer than he intends to stick around. Felicity does choose the chorus repertoire—and has good taste—and waves her arms around a bit but the old girl is slowing down. This means, a LOT of details are left to him. He hires the musicians for any work with orchestra they perform. He schedules auditions twice a year and plays for them while Felicity watches, usually without comment. He often runs rehearsals by himself because of her mounting health problems. He double checks any music folders going out to the singers, even though they do have a music librarian because Felicity insists. He writes the PR for auditions and concerts and keeps the chorus website and Facebook page up to date. There are many other details too numerous and silly to mention he is expected to complete because the chorus management now expects him to do so. He has mentioned in confidence to the Executive Director and board president it might be time for Felicity to retire. THAT suggestion was met with horror!
The reason Jay wrote to me was because he wanted assurance he wasn’t over-reacting to the latest issue. After the most time consuming and detail bogged down holiday concert he has ever worked on, his name was COMPLETELY left off of the program and he wasn’t given a bow during the concert. He thinks Felicity did it on purpose because he is taking over much more of her Music Director’s job….and not by choice. He has two more concerts to oversee before the end of the subscription year and isn’t sure he will be able to do them without blowing up. I told him he can do anything if he knows it will end. And it will end if he wants it to.
Jay is moving on this year when his partner graduates from med school. He is so fed up with not getting credit for all the crappy work he does for this chorus, he and his partner are moving, no matter what. The chorus management doesn’t know yet nor does the music director or the singers but rest assured he is encouraging his partner to apply to residencies in other states. He can’t wait to get out!
*Name Withheld
Virginia S Moe says