Guest conductor's removal rankles

The controversy surrounding Utah Symphony & Opera's decision not to renew Pavel Kogan's contract as the symphony's principal guest conductor refuses to end. In the time since the Deseret Morning News broke the story, I have received numerous e-mails (and they're still coming) from people expressing shock, anger and disappointment at US&O's decision.

With this kind of outpouring of support for Kogan, it's safe to say that the Russian maestro is not only popular in Salt Lake City but also loved and respected for his talent and for the quality of concerts he's presented here over the past six years.

During his tenure here, Kogan has always been praised by musicians and the concertgoing public for his artistry and consummate musicianship. If it had been otherwise, US&O would certainly have been justified in letting him go. But based on the sheer magnitude of Kogan's contributions to the musical life of Salt Lake City, refusing to renew his contract is indefensible and reeks of provincialism.

In my interview with Anne Ewers, the CEO of US&O, for the Feb. 12 story, she said that "both the artistic and executive committees felt that (having Kogan as principal guest conductor for six years) was long enough," and that she and music director Keith Lockhart concurred with that assessment.

That comment engendered a lively exchange of e-mails from a number of people.

Erich Graf, who is the symphony's principal flute and president of Local 104 of the American Federation of Musicians, wrote: "the announcement took (the musicians) by surprise." In another e-mail Graf said, "the responsibility for this decision falls squarely with the artistic and administrative leadership of symphony management. The musicians of the Utah Symphony were made aware of this event at the same time everyone else was who read your article."

This is borne out by an e-mail I received from Ewers, in which she described the decisionmaking process. After a meeting with Graf, she wrote, in part, "We clarified that the committee (the artistic advisory committee) served in an advisory capacity, and that the ultimate decision/implementation was that of management."

Finally, I phoned Tom Zera, who is the current chairman of the artistic advisory committee, regarding a formal response from the committee. He e-mailed the following statement: "The Utah Symphony musicians have always appreciated the artistry of Pavel Kogan and look forward to a continued relationship. The decision not to renew Maestro Kogan's contract as the Utah Symphony's principal guest conductor was made by the management of the Utah Symphony-Opera and was not the result of input from or discussions with symphony musicians or their union."