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He'll lead symphony at Severance and share inspiring possibilities
By Elaine Guregian
Beacon Journal arts and culture writer
Published on Friday, Feb 01, 2008
What is the message that brought tears and laughter to the financial wizards and tycoons at the just-concluded World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland?
It was what Benjamin Zander calls his message of possibility, as set out in The Art of Possibility, the best-selling book he co-authored with his wife, Rosamund Stone Zander.
Anyone who attends the free University of Akron Forum Series lecture by Zander at 4 p.m. Tuesday will get what Davos listeners got, and more, the peripatetic conductor and motivational speaker, 68, said. He was briefly at home in Boston before heading out again to speak to a group of 2,200 human resources people in Toronto and then to a dental convention in Nashville.
On Sunday, Zander begins what should be a remarkable week in Akron, culminating with him conducting the Akron Symphony's first performance at Severance Hall on Feb. 10. Zander will lead a free, intentionally unrehearsed concert Sunday and give a free presentation in the University of Akron Forum series
Tuesday. On Saturday, he'll lead the Akron Symphony in Mahler's Symphony No. 2 at E.J. Thomas Hall, then repeat the program at Severance.
This year was Zander's fifth visit to Davos, but the first at which he has had a full-length lecture slot. A blogger from the British Broadcasting Corp. News raved about Zander's presentation, writing that ''what could have been a boring talk about people management, turned out to be the most inspiring 90 minutes I have had for a very long time.'' In Akron, Zander will give a similar presentation, but expanded to the full two-hour length that he has used for a long list of corporations, from the Ford Motor Co. to Goldman Sachs, IKEA and Lenscrafters to the U.S. Army.
The tears are not a gimmick to Zander. The reason that people in the audience cry at his presentation, Zander said, is that he gives them a way to connect with their emotions. Before playing a piece of music, he said, ''I'll ask them to think of somebody they love who is no longer alive. That will inevitably make anyone feel emotionally attached.''
Reporting on this year's session at Davos, Alec Hogg of Moneyweb observed that Zander probably wasn't known to most of the people in the session. Still, he got through to this ''hard-bitten'' group with his message of making a contribution and cultivating the ''shining eyes'' (a Zander/Stone Zander term) of people who are engaged in their work and feel valued by their leaders.
Even a cynic might soften when he hears Zander's Rule Number 6: ''Don't take yourself so g--damn seriously!'' By the way, there are no other rules.
A distinguished career
Helping people to embrace possibility is the mission Zander has developed for himself in a distinguished and unusual career. Born in England (he became an American citizen last fall), he studied composition with a beloved English composer, Benjamin Britten, and trained as a cellist. Since 1967, Zander has taught at Boston's New England Conservatory. He is the longtime artistic director of a joint program between NEC and Walnut Hill, a boarding school for the performing arts, as well as conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra.
It was during his work as conductor of the New England Conservatory's youth orchestra that Zander met the Akron Symphony's music director, Christopher Wilkins, then a 15-year-old oboist. Zander was drawn to the young man's character as well as his musicianship. He calls Wilkins a man of integrity and passion, adding, ''I love his warmth and generosity of spirit.'' He and Wilkins refer to each other as best friends. When Wilkins started talking to Zander about guest-conducting in Akron, the weeklong plan spilled out of Zander's enthusiasm.
Zander, who calls himself ''a huge Patriots fan,'' hopes men will come to Sunday night's free concert, which begins an hour before the Superbowl. ''Even the tough men of Akron who want to drink their beer, tell them to come. It will transform their relationship with their children,'' he said.
Men often close themselves off from their emotions, but it's emotional connection that their children — especially adolescents — crave, Zander said. For people willing to open up to their own emotions, this concert, Tuesday's presentation and next weekend's concerts will be a life-changing experience, he promises.
''The first 45 minutes of a game isn't that important. Changing your life is important,'' he said.
The players in the Akron Symphony are in for a different way of doing their job, too. A concert aimed at people who aren't regular concert-goers can be dull for musicians, Zander said. Not so when the players themselves haven't rehearsed, and don't know what to expect. The music on the program is all frequently played, so the players won't be struggling with the notes. They'll be having a fresh experience, just like the audience.
Another unusual habit of Zander is to place a blank sheet of paper on every player's music stand before rehearsal, so that they can write down any suggestions. ''Obviously, I have very strong opinions about the music and nobody can argue with the fundamental approach,'' Zander said. Mahler's markings will be respected. But, remarkably, this conductor will take suggestions from anyone in the orchestra about tempos, bowings or other specifics.
If an idea doesn't work, Zander talks to the player afterward. For a classical musician, used to being told what to do, it's gratifying to be asked.
''This is a professional on the shop floor,'' Zander said, drawing one of his frequent parallels between music and business.
The Art of Possibility, for which he points to Rosamund Stone Zander as the primary author (her name is printed larger than his on the book's cover, and correctly so, he said) is full of stories of how business people have learned to negotiate in a new way.
Concert at Severance
When Zander and Wilkins started talking about his visit and what he would conduct, Zander urged Wilkins to think big. Zander is midway through recording the Mahler symphonies with the Philarmonia Orchestra of London on Beachwood's Telarc label. He'll record Mahler's Second, nicknamed ''Resurrection,'' in a year. Why not use this symphony to make a significant debut by the Akron Symphony Orchestra at Severance Hall, home of the Cleveland Orchestra?
Well, that's pretty expensive, was Wilkins' practical answer.
Zander pledged to cover all of the expenses of the Severance concert, waiving his fee. He wants people to hear the ''Resurrection,'' which with characteristic enthusiasm he describes '''one of those once-in-a-lifetime things, like the Mona Lisa or the Pyramids.''
Musically, the Severance debut sounds like the big news of the week. Given Zander's reputation for motivating people and changing their perceptions, it may be just part of a much bigger gift to Akron.
Elaine Guregian can be reached at 330-996-3574 or eguregian@thebeaconjournal.com
What is the message that brought tears and laughter to the financial wizards and tycoons at the just-concluded World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland?
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