The orchestra world has known for a while that the Baltimore Symphony is seething with unresolved conflict. The matter started when the concertmaster Jonathan Carney allegedly made a sexual advance to the principal oboist Katharine Needleman while on tour. Needleman rebuffed him and reported the incident to the orchestra management, which did nothing. Since then, she has become a prominent online agitator on the theme of male aggression in orchestras. Carney recently announced his retirement after 25 years, with full honours.
This much is well known.
Now, the former piccolo player and players’ rep Laurie Sokoloff has opened a new front, writing to the BSO president and CEO Mark Hanson to demand why no action was taken on the oboist’s complaint. Sokoloff dated his letter February 1. He is still waiting for a reply. Baltimore is till trying to keep a lid on the stinking barrel.
Here’s what Sokoloff writes:
February 1, 2025
Dear Mr. Hanson,
I was the piccolo player with the orchestra for 48 years, and Players Committee Chair from 2008-2010, some our most challenging years financially. I helped to negotiate 4 contracts during these years to help the BSO survive. While a member of the Baltimore Symphony, I contributed financially to the orchestra yearly, and am proud to be a Governing Member since my retirement. I also had a cousin who was for many years manager of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and my father was interim director of the Curtis Institute twice during his long tenure there. I add this information in introducing myself to help you understand that I do not have one-sided views, and do have some understanding of how musical organizations function.
In recent years I have been deeply disturbed by the repeated violations of decency, honesty and respect for women displayed by Jonathan Carney. While in the orchestra, I personally witnessed him disparaging Katherine Needleman’s tuning “A” in a publicly humiliating manner. I wondered why Jonathan felt the need to criticize her in that way…of course now I understand. I now understand that his rebuffed effort to seduce Katherine Needleman was the basis of his acts of disrespect. I also now understand he called Katherine a liar for 10 years, until finally admitting his attempt to bed her. During his tenure as concertmaster, I heard stories from several female members of the violin section regarding his lack of respect. As Players Committee Chair, I was made aware of his attempts to promote his then girlfriend ahead of other more deserving players on our substitute list.
It is my understanding that when Katherine first reported Carney’s attempt to seduce her and ensuing professional abuse, it was treated with a “he said/she said” response, with no official objective investigation. When Katherine’s story went public 10 years later, the BSO urged everyone in the orchestra to remain silent and let the organization alone handle the response. While I fully understand you were not at the helm during these events, I have the following questions for you now:
1. Why wasn’t Jonathan Carney fired for all of his committed offenses, rather than being allowed to retire with honor, especially after lying in an HR investigation?
2. Where is Katherine Needleman’s public apology from the BSO for their failure to support and protect her over many years?
3. Why have you not instituted a policy of anonymous reporting of alleged incidents of abuse?
While I guess this was part of a negotiation, I personally find Jonathan Carney being given the title of Concertmaster Laureate deeply insulting to me, to women, and to anyone with a moral compass. Once again women are ignored or feel the need to testify anonymously for fear of retaliation, or go public only to be ignored and/or abused, while their male abuser is protected and lauded.
Very sincerely,
Laurie Sokoloff
The post Baltimore is mired in further misery appeared first on Slippedisc.
