Symphony rebuttal

After some strong complaints and negative comments about the Arboretum Foundation’s announcement last week that it had decided to negotiate a contract with the Pasadena Symphony and Pops to play summer concerts at the Arboretum starting in 2012, the Symphony today (May 4) released a media release and the Arboretum made public an open letter — read both media releases below (and click on your response in related poll at right):

Pasadena Symphony media release: It has come to the attention of the Pasadena Symphony Association that there are inaccuracies in the reporting of the news regarding the Arboretum’s decision to award the opportunity to partner with the Pasadena Symphony Association beginning in the summer of 2012. Please note the following clarifications:

1. The Arboretum invited a number of regional orchestras to submit a response to their Request for Proposal. The Pasadena Symphony Association was one of them.

2. The Pasadena Symphony Association’s primary interest in partnering with the Arboretum is to offer Pasadena POPS concerts to the community, in addition to producing a summer season of entertainment offerings at the Arboretum for audiences of all ages and demographics, thus serving the entire San Gabriel Valley Community.

3. In 2007, the then separately owned and managed Pasadena POPS approached the Pasadena Symphony Association to discuss an acquisition for the following principal reasons: provide year-round live orchestral music for the entire community; create multiple access points for audiences; complement and enhance each organization’s strengths; serve as a far-reaching cultural resource for the entire community beyond what each could provide individually. No musicians were fired. All musicians from the previous Pasadena POPS organization were given fair and equitable hiring consideration within the standards set forth by the Pasadena Symphony Association.

4. Over the years, the Pasadena Symphony, Pasadena POPS and Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra have all performed at various indoor and outdoor venues within this region and will continue to do so. Venues do not solely define the business success of an organization such as the Pasadena Symphony Association or any of our colleagues.

5. In June 2009, the Pasadena Symphony Association very publicly released its Recovery Plan for a Sustainable Future, a plan that has been fully realized. The Pasadena Symphony Association expects a balanced budget ending this fiscal year on September 30, 2011. The Association is disappointed that this transparent plan has been altered to discredit the Pasadena Symphony Association by its local colleagues.

6. The Board, staff and musicians of the Pasadena Symphony Association recognize it is only one of the many non-profit organizations within the vast community of Arts ensembles that make up the Southern California collective and it remains supportive of all of our colleagues who serve this community.

Paul Jan Zdunek Chief Executive Officer Pasadena Symphony and POPS 117 East Colorado Boulevard – Suite 200 | Pasadena CA 91105 phone 626.793.7172 x12 | fax 626.793.7180 www.PasadenaSymphony-Pops.org | pzdunek@PasadenaSymphony-Pops.org

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Letter from Arboretum Foundation letter from president:

May 4, 2011 Dear Arboretum Friends and Community,

I write to you to provide clarity about a recent change concerning future summer concerts at the Arboretum. Importantly, this change is part of the Arboretum’s current effort to increase services to the public, as well as build revenues to ensure proper care for our magnificent landscape, botanical collections, historic resources and library.

The Arboretum recently decided to begin negotiations with the Pasadena Pops regarding a new summer concert series to begin in 2012. Following successful contract negotiations, the Pasadena Pops would succeed the California Philharmonic, which will play at the Arboretum this summer and whose current one-year contract expires in September of this year. We know that the Cal Phil has many loyal supporters who have enjoyed summer concerts over the years, and I very much regret any disappointment this decision has caused. Yet I believe that the Arboretum has made the right decision for its own future, and look forward to a new partnership with the Pasadena Pops.

Our selection of the Pasadena Pops was the result of a careful and detailed “request for proposal” process. On January 29, 2011, invitations to participate in a selection process were sent to several Southern California symphony organizations; the California Philharmonic and the Pasadena Pops both responded with comprehensive, high-quality proposals. The two proposals were fully assessed and both organizations were interviewed. A detailed analysis of the financial and management strengths of both organizations, among other factors, was the basis for the decision. Because the information submitted by the two organizations is confidential in nature, we cannot discuss in detail the relative merits of the two submissions. This selection process, led by a Los Angeles Arboretum Foundation board subcommittee, was explained to both organizations, and each knew that a decision would be reached last week, following a vote by the board of trustees.

Personally, I have the utmost respect for Victor Vener and the symphony he created. We express our great thanks to Victor and the entire Cal Phil organization for many years of wonderful music, and wish them all the best in the future. At the same time, we look forward to a new partnership with the Pasadena Pops, and to wonderful summer concerts for years to come.

If you should have any questions or comments, please contact Los Angeles Arboretum CEO Richard Schulhof at richard.schulhof@arboretum.org.

Sincerely, Gilbert N. Resendez President Los Angeles Arboretum Foundation

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About the Pasadena Symphony and Pops:

The Pasadena Symphony Association was founded in 1928 by Conductor Reginald Bland. Originally named the Pasadena Civic Orchestra, its first members were mostly volunteer musicians, many of whom were students of Bland. The annual operating budget was a$3,500, which was funded entirely by the City of Pasadena.

The Pasadena Symphony and POPS is an ensemble of Southern California’s most talented, sought after musicians. With extensive credits in the film, television, recording and orchestral industry, the artists of Pasadena Symphony and POPS are the most heard in the world.

In the fall of 2007, the Pasadena Symphony incorporated the Pasadena POPS into its Association under the new name Pasadena Symphony and POPS. This merger created an expanded Classics and POPS series providing the community with a full spectrum of live symphonic concerts year-round. The Pasadena POPS’ summer home is on the Lawn adjacent the Rose Bowl and the Pasadena Symphony provides a musical experience like no other at the Ambassador Auditorium – known as the Carnegie Hall of the West. Internationally recognized, Presidential Medal of Arts Recipient, Maestro James DePreist, serves as the Pasadena Symphony Association’s Artistic Advisor. The Pasadena POPS welcomes Marvin Hamlisch this season as its new Principal Pops Conductor beginning in summer 2011.

A hallmark of its robust education programs, the Pasadena Symphony Association has served the youth of the region since 1972 through the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra comprised of over 160 gifted middle school students from more than 40 schools all over the Southland.