A few days ago, a friend advised me of proposed changed occurring in the Lima Symphony Chorus. I have an interest in this organization as I was manager during the period that Dr. Mark Munson was the director.
I am concerned about the possible direction the director and manager are taking — dismissal of members whose vocal abilities and musical training do not meet a nebulous standard that they have created, and making membership in the chorus available by invitation only.
In other words, if you are a vocal musician, and want to sing in The Symphony Chorus, you must first get invited, then meet a standard that has not yet been made public.
During my term as manager, all new volunteers/invitees were required to “try out.” One year, during the “off season,” Dr. Munson required all members to be “retried” and evaluated. No one was asked to leave.
During my tenure, we never dismissed anyone because of “vocal problems” or lack of musical ability. Also, during and prior to my tenure, participation in the chorus was voluntary with no compensation, except one free ticket for the concert(s) in which the chorus participated.
Now it seems that The Lima Symphony Chorus members must meet different standards for membership. Question: Will chorus members now receive compensation and/or mileage payments?
My friend was “dis-invited,” told not to come back and was asked to “please continue to support The Lima Symphony.” Wow, they sure have a lot of chutzpah.
I don’t know how many have been “dis-invited,” but typical of many organizations, it appears this Symphony will take until you cannot give any more, and then try to make you feel guilty because you got nothing more to give.
The Lima Symphony is a superior organization for a town the size of Lima. However, we’re not Chicago, Cleveland, New York or even Columbus. We do not have sufficient local vocal musicians that would or could substantially alter the now exceptional level of performance provided by the chorus.
Any insult by dis-invitation to members who, out of their love of music, have donated their time and paid all their own expenses is, in my opinion, neither responsible or positive actions. I sincerely hope this action is not based on delusions of grandeur, and will be re-evaluated.
