Active rhythm

Geneva is a jack of all trades, known as an international capital, a financial hub, an academic and research centre, and a city of rich history and culture. What does it mean to you to be Genevan? I’m proud of my roots and feel lucky to play a role in the legacy of such an iconic Genevan cultural institution. It’s important to me to be connected to this municipality, and that’s influenced all of my actions over the past decade. Going beyond the cultural component, which is at the heart of what I do, everything that has contributed to this city’s development is near and dear to my heart. 

What drew you to work in the cultural field?
I love art in all its forms. It’s part of our humanity, it allows us to feel all kinds of emotions and experience beauty. Live music especially does that… I really cherish those moments of listening along with a room full of people, where everyone is experiencing the same thing.

How would you describe your role as the President of the Board of Trustees?
The OSR is a century-old institution that’s been shaped by many different personalities. I’m simply part of that bigger story. My role is to allow the Board to make the right decisions, and to garner support from leadership. I build relationships with patrons, donors and sponsors, along with political allies. I hope the orchestra feels like the Board provides the budgetary means they need to be able to excel at what they do.

I’m always fully engaged and, to ensure I stay relevant, I always try to know as much as possible about the day-to-day activities of the OSR. I attend almost every concert they play, and I travel with the orchestra when they must travel. That allows me to better understand their expectations, needs and ultimately, what a musician’s job really entails.

Are you basically the Board of Trustees’ conductor?
The OSR already has a conductor (laughs)! But I see what you mean: My main role is to listen, but I also have to own the authority and responsibility of making decisions.

You were unanimously re-elected; to what do you attribute that success?
I’m very touched by that vote of confidence, but I’m also very conscious of the responsibility that comes with it. I think the Board was aware of my affection for the role, my availability and my commitment to it. 

I think I also bring a sense of peace, which was not solely my doing, because the orchestra is doing particularly well at the moment: the concert halls are full, and season ticket sales are up. The musicians are empowered by the people’s loyalty, which inspires them to continue to improve their performances.

The Cité de la Musique concerts, which were a kind of residency for the OSR, were discontinued in 2021, not long after you became President. How did OSR bounce back from that?

A lot of people were sad about those being discontinued, but we moved beyond that and found other ways to empower the OSR to carry on its mission. A series of small — and big! — miracles took place after that. A building right next to Victoria Hall became available to rent. We got the authorization we needed to build a doorway and connect the two buildings, and a patron graciously sponsored that project. Thanks to that, all the artists who perform at Victoria Hall now benefit from more space and simplified logistics.

How does the 100-year-old orchestra stay in tune with the times?
The OSR continues to emphasize its classical repertoire while also going off the beaten path so we can reach other new audiences. We reach around 20,000 young people in Geneva each year through our school activities and public offerings, which include our “Series in family” for ages seven and up, and our “Series for little ears” for ages 4 and up. We’ve developed the OSR Festival, in August, at the Genève-Plage pool, and we propose film concerts. We’ve also expanded our collaborations with local partners, for example with the Les Créatives Festival. I really believe this diversification makes us stronger.

The OSR even played a concert in hologram form!
Those kinds of innovative ideas are driven by our General Director, Steve Roger, who handles the operational side of the OSR. He is full of ideas and helps us see into the future! The hologram allowed us to perform classical music for an audience that otherwise wouldn’t listen to classical music. Innovation is part of the OSR’s DNA; we were, after all, the first orchestra ever to be recorded in stereo in the 1950s.

Another modern evolution within the OSR is that the Assistant Director position is only open to women. Why is that?
Well, it’s a mathematical fact that women are underrepresented in the orchestra’s leadership. If we really want that reality to change, we need to do something different to impact what the future will look like. I see it as a way to encourage more balance, but also as a path to fostering more long-term connections between talented artists and the OSR.

https://www.osr.ch/