Once again, a piercing analysis that documents both the ineptitude of the BSO’s very well paid CEO Chad Smith and his unfortunate habit of lying.
Thanks, Mr. Dinsmore.
So if Smith is so inept that he cannot make sense of his own budget, then by extension the person who hired him is equally inept for paying him $1.3 million, Barbara Hostetter.
Isn’t it time for the BSO Trustees to face the obvious that the emperor has no clothes?
"They knew it was bullshit when they wrote it" says it all. And you are of course correct that the bulk of the recent fundraising came from BH - one hand washing the other.
I am fervently hoping that the lawn parties out at Tanglewood are buzzing and that the fall will bring some backbone to the Board.
Thanks as always for your informative article; a bit surprised at Chad’s hefty salary but not with his lies as his rationale for firing Andris. So sad to see the BSO in such questionable leadership.
Man, just great reporting here. I can’t wait for you to get those financials too….like waiting for another season of a show on Netflix to release. LOL!
I had these thoughts for anyone on the BSO Board and the CEO who is out here looking at Mr. Dinsmore’s work and having second thoughts on their decisions. I want to air them out here:
It always amazes me how people get so dug in on their side and just cannot see a way through. There is always common ground. I wish people in power understood more than what their wallets wield…their intangible legacy. You can’t take anything you have in this world into the next. At least as far as I can tell.
Everything you have is all on loan so in the end, it’s your legacy (as a person) that people remember after you’ve left this mortal coil. Yes, your money lives on (because God knows you all have plenty already) but what you say and do here and the people and institutions you affect is truly timeless.
When all this is said and done, the current Board and CEO will always be tagged for botching a fruitful partnership with the Music Director (MD) and squandering an opportunity to get on the same page as soon as there were initial signs of trouble. I don’t think the MD is blameless here either; I’ve attended many concerts where I felt underwhelmed and that something was just missing. I also agree that he just wasn’t a presence in the wider city and region which is a fair point.
In a perfect world, a mediator gets involved here, parties go back to the table, and everyone just starts talking. I think that’s what we all want them to do - just have a long term discussion, get reacquainted, mend fences, show some humor/humility, and do the hard work to keep the institution alive. Forget the carefully parsed public statements or strategically placed articles in the Globe and other news outlets. We all know the PR battles raging behind closed doors to get “your”side of the story out first so just cut the shit - you’re all highly compensated individuals and it’s not like you need this job to personally stay afloat.
The next article in the Globe I want to see is that both parties (Board/CEO and MD) are on the same page, as are all personnel, and your BSO futures are rebooted and bright. If the terms of a new deal work, great - if not, after a period of trying under a new deal, cut ties but at least be accountable that you tried under better circumstances but then yield to those who can carry the torch knowing that it may not be “you” either on the leadership or artistic side. It’s not your institution…remember that everything you have here is on temporary loan.
Imagine if through all this turmoil, you’re able to work out an arrangement to the benefit of everyone that overcomes your intangible legacies…maybe it can have some hope that even our country’s bigger problems on even larger stages can still be solved by meeting our partners at eye level and have a shared understanding of what is true against a backdrop of mutual respect and unity. You can do it - the institution as a whole and your legacies require it.
Once again, a piercing analysis that documents both the ineptitude of the BSO’s very well paid CEO Chad Smith and his unfortunate habit of lying.
Thanks, Mr. Dinsmore.
So if Smith is so inept that he cannot make sense of his own budget, then by extension the person who hired him is equally inept for paying him $1.3 million, Barbara Hostetter.
Isn’t it time for the BSO Trustees to face the obvious that the emperor has no clothes?
I suspect that much of that record fundraising haul comes from Hostetter’s wallet.
"They knew it was bullshit when they wrote it" says it all. And you are of course correct that the bulk of the recent fundraising came from BH - one hand washing the other.
I am fervently hoping that the lawn parties out at Tanglewood are buzzing and that the fall will bring some backbone to the Board.
Thanks as always for your informative article; a bit surprised at Chad’s hefty salary but not with his lies as his rationale for firing Andris. So sad to see the BSO in such questionable leadership.
Man, just great reporting here. I can’t wait for you to get those financials too….like waiting for another season of a show on Netflix to release. LOL!
I had these thoughts for anyone on the BSO Board and the CEO who is out here looking at Mr. Dinsmore’s work and having second thoughts on their decisions. I want to air them out here:
It always amazes me how people get so dug in on their side and just cannot see a way through. There is always common ground. I wish people in power understood more than what their wallets wield…their intangible legacy. You can’t take anything you have in this world into the next. At least as far as I can tell.
Everything you have is all on loan so in the end, it’s your legacy (as a person) that people remember after you’ve left this mortal coil. Yes, your money lives on (because God knows you all have plenty already) but what you say and do here and the people and institutions you affect is truly timeless.
When all this is said and done, the current Board and CEO will always be tagged for botching a fruitful partnership with the Music Director (MD) and squandering an opportunity to get on the same page as soon as there were initial signs of trouble. I don’t think the MD is blameless here either; I’ve attended many concerts where I felt underwhelmed and that something was just missing. I also agree that he just wasn’t a presence in the wider city and region which is a fair point.
In a perfect world, a mediator gets involved here, parties go back to the table, and everyone just starts talking. I think that’s what we all want them to do - just have a long term discussion, get reacquainted, mend fences, show some humor/humility, and do the hard work to keep the institution alive. Forget the carefully parsed public statements or strategically placed articles in the Globe and other news outlets. We all know the PR battles raging behind closed doors to get “your”side of the story out first so just cut the shit - you’re all highly compensated individuals and it’s not like you need this job to personally stay afloat.
The next article in the Globe I want to see is that both parties (Board/CEO and MD) are on the same page, as are all personnel, and your BSO futures are rebooted and bright. If the terms of a new deal work, great - if not, after a period of trying under a new deal, cut ties but at least be accountable that you tried under better circumstances but then yield to those who can carry the torch knowing that it may not be “you” either on the leadership or artistic side. It’s not your institution…remember that everything you have here is on temporary loan.
Imagine if through all this turmoil, you’re able to work out an arrangement to the benefit of everyone that overcomes your intangible legacies…maybe it can have some hope that even our country’s bigger problems on even larger stages can still be solved by meeting our partners at eye level and have a shared understanding of what is true against a backdrop of mutual respect and unity. You can do it - the institution as a whole and your legacies require it.