Juanjo Mena Spurns Houston Symphony Engagement

The Boston Symphony recently published its brochure for the 2012-2013 season. Included among the offerings is a subscription concert the first week in November involving one of our erstwhile contenders, Juanjo Mena.

Gee, that's funny. I thought Maestro Mena was supposed to be conducting the Houston Symphony on those dates.

He was.

Was.

Past tense. At least I hope so.

Would it strike you as needy if someone took to stalking the big man on campus who broke up because he got a "better" offer from a sexier prom date? I think so.

An orchestra that feels like it has something to offer to the world ought not go chasing someone who won't keep his word to the organization--let alone make the type of commitment to the orchestra's excellence that true leadership requires.

Don't get in a hurry, Houston Symphony. And don't settle. The Cincinati Symphony spent two years searching for its new music director, and it got Louis Langree. The Chicago Symhpony courted Ricardo Muti from 2006 and was willing to go without a music director until the 2010 season. 

The New York Philharmonic got Alan Gilbert. Compare and contrast.

"Good" orchestras should not kiss on the first date, let alone propose. The last 10 years show what happens if you do.

The Contenders

Now don't get me wrong.

The Houston Symphony does not need a white knight on a stallion to ride to its rescue.

Nor does it need the "genius with a thousand helpers" to motivate people to excellence.

White knights and geniuses do not create sustained greatness.

But those are posts for another day. This post is just to set out a list of potential candidates for the post of Music Director. Later on, I'll put it up as a permanent page on the blog for you to refer to.

After the jump a list of the guests. You can follow the links to their websites. In future posts, expect more detailed information on each.