UT Releases Early-Music Director
More budgetary bloodshed in the UT College of Fine Arts: Daniel Johnson, nationally renowned specialist in music of the medieval, Renaissance, and baroque eras and director of the UT Early Music Ensemble for 17 years, has been cut loose from the UT School of Music. Johnson found out on Aug. 8, when he was called by the school’s director, B. Glenn Chandler, and notified that his contract as Early Music Specialist would not be renewed for the coming academic year. The culprit, according to Chandler, was the same one that prompted the recent firing of the music school’s excellent public-relations specialist, Matt Orem, and the firing of the College of Fine Arts’ two longtime prop masters, James Cameron and George Wenning, as well as the closing of the UT Performing Arts Center Prop Shop: budget woes.
Now, obviously when times are as tough as they are now, tough decisions have to be made, and pain is inevitable. But it’s troubling to see the axe fall on individuals and programs of longstanding value to both the school and the larger community. As noted in this column on Aug. 8, the Prop Shop had been an invaluable resource to local designers, theatre companies, high school drama departments, and others for years, with Messrs. Wenning and Cameron adding a wealth of knowledge and expertise to its operation. Now, we’re seeing the dismissal of a teacher, scholar, and musician whose history with the institution spans almost two decades and whose ties through the community have immeasurably enriched the relationship of town and gown. To see such contributions dismissed over budgetary concerns diminishes the efforts that went into keeping such programs viable through the years, the professionals who made those efforts, and the programs themselves, which comes off as negligible in the eyes of the institution.
As if to add insult to injury, the School of Music reportedly plans to get a teaching assistant to direct the Early Music Ensemble. No disrespect intended to whomever might wind up with the job, but similar assignments in the past have not exactly met with great success, and even the most gifted and energetic TA can’t compensate for 17 years of history, experience, insight, and contacts. The only silver linings at this point are that Johnson’s off-campus organization, the esteemed Texas Early Music Project, is not affected by the decision and that friends and admirers of Johnson’s have begun lobbying School of Music administrators to reconsider their action and reinstate Johnson, either now or as soon as possible, if funding issues are resolved. Classical listings Editor Robi Polgar has also weighed in on the matter in this issue’s Arts listings.
Oops!
Last week’s report on the 2003 B. Iden Payne Awards incorrectly noted that voting ballots for the awards were mailed to Austin Circle of Theatres members as in previous years. Instead, they may be picked up by members at the ACoT offices, 701 Tillery. For more information, call ACoT at 247-2531 (CIRCLE-1). Also, the phone number for information and reservations for the Payne Awards ceremony is not 454-TIXS but rather 474-TIXS. I regret the errors.
This article appears in August 22 • 2003.