We are competing with the top orchestras in the country for the top musicians. We can't just assume once we put out a notice, they will come.

European musicians didn't learn popular music, whereas in America we did, ... So you played in bands, you played in orchestras, you played everything. The high-art/low-art idea, that was a very European idea and not much appreciated in America. People like Cole Porter and Gershwin were considered very important composers.

Orchestras are having trouble across the country. Lots of orchestras have deficits, but the larger ones have a better cash flow and are not threatened. All orchestras have very large fixed costs, but the smaller ones have the challenges of fundraising and meeting those costs.

We wish we could have made a decision more quickly but we do not want to make a mistake.

His musical gifts were extraordinary as an educator, orchestra musician, chamber musician, soloist and conductor. Milton transformed the Seattle Symphony during his tenure as our music director and was instrumental in the growth of our city into an important cultural center.

It's not all that different with the orchestra. There are orchestras that seem to be encased in dough, so that first you have to break through the normal routine, and clear out the openings.