Musicians Forever - a blog by Hornist/photographer Susan Whipple Rogers: July 2012

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

ULM again this week to work with James Boldin

Driving to ULM again this week to work again with James Boldin as our schedules finally coincide again in the month of August. Practice the little things when you are bored out of your gourd because orchestra season hasn't begun yet. Little things will capture your attention quickly and not fade away so much as the week goes by. Sooner than you think, you'll be wishing for some melodic lines again with solos from Brahms, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. Maybe even Stravinsky?

Lawson - vintage mid- 80's

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Idaho and my summer vacation 2012

Laura, Susan, Mom, Donna - July 2012

My sister and I arrived in SLC airport late last Saturday night where my other sister and her husband picked us up in their white chariot (truck) and whisked us away to wonderful ID. Their home which overlooks the Little Bear River from a hillside is western in design with verandas on three sides for broad sweeping views of the countryside filled with cattle and horse farms and others which grow some of the food we put on our table everyday. The basement has extra bedrooms and a living area and is ideal for for family retreats and reunions.

My ATT service is sporadic at best and will not link up most of the time (Verizon seems the best connection here), but I now have managed to use my sister's Wi-Fi connection to check my email and write on this blog. Can't call out or receive calls or send messages. My hubby is holding down the fort at home. He was scheduled to fly with us but one of our cats became sick a few days before our departure and hubby is having a great time trying to make sure her antibiotic drops are landing in her mouth and not on his shirt. Of course he is watering our vegetable garden as well which includes watermelon, squash, tomatoes and bell peppers.

I will be working more with horn player James Boldin when each of us returns to our perspective work. My contracts with TSO and LSO have been returned and am looking forward to a season of music.

I plan to revisit the recent SSO catastrophe which unfairly took away my Individual Contract rights in what I believe to be a sham of an appeal's process and an MCBA which was fraught with mistakes, some of which now have been retracted in the new 2012 Agreement AT MY EXPENSE.

Have a safe and fun summer -

I am now signing off as your fellow musician and colleague,

COLLATERAL DAMAGE - Susan W Rogers

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Well, DANG - I am feeling very unappreciated and betrayed

Well, "Dang", folks - My SSO "core" 2nd Horn position is up for grabs, first time in several decades. So says the Musicians' Union monthly periodical, "The International Musician". Yep, I know how it works because I was the SSO Personnel Manager for 32 years and prepared all auditions for years. Always had to plan my summer vacation around auditions and payroll. A real bummer for my family every year.

And, "Geez," the SSO 4th Horn position, the position I was offered again and declined again only a few days before I was given my termination notice (and 2 months after I had received my Intent Contract for the SSO 2012 - 2013 season) as Second Horn, is also up for grabs. Imagine - two horn positions, both vacated at the same time? Good grief, Charlie Brown, what happened and why? Two of the three oldest members of the SSO and in the same section getting pink slips? Actually, in reality, one retired and the other definitely has decided not to retire, yet.

Could it be that "others" did not do their collective bargaining homework, someone else took advantage of the "miscue" in our previous MCBA and now that clause will never be used again? The new MCBA (The Master Collective Bargaining Agreement) which I am sure has been signed by now (June 30, being the end of our official fiscal year) most likely re-clarified (corrected) the termination date and reverted to the previous date of March 15, NOT MAY 15, two months after contracts are issued. Well, well, a little clause with a big date that will never be used again on any musician, BUT it certainly whacked me from the blind side. Hey, I didn't even get to register my vote - wasn't asked to the signing party.

And that, my readers, is why I wrote my first post a few weeks ago on this blog about being blind-sided, hit by a Mac truck and shoved over a cliff with no regard for protocol or damage control. Collateral damage? Yes, indeed. An innocent bystander who was not protected by the system? Yes, indeed. Now what? Indeed!

Ah . . . . I feeling better now . . . . . . . . To be continued . . . . . . . .

one of the rare opportunities to play my Lawson

In-school ensemble concerts - one of my very favorite core member orchestra activities

Shreveport Summer Music festival begins its ensemble series with a BANG - well almost - The Festival Quartet and Emma Meeks

A patriotic celebration made our day this afternoon, at Azalea Estates with Boy Scout troop 48 trooping the colors, the SSMF String Quartet playing patriotic music and singer Emma Meeks singing some old American Classics.

Zackery Grant, Leonard Kacenjar, Mary Eileen Grant, Pam Martin

The Shreveport Summer Music Festival String Quartet