Ron Drew's Music Page - Activities
Singing - South Shields Amateur Operatic Society
Chapter 5.25 - Snippets of Chorus Lines
From
Issue
No. 25
(December 2003)
Henry Fogel and the Chicago Phil.
I was listening to Classic FM the other day, Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream, which was wonderful and at the end the announcer said `That was the Chicago Philharmonic'.
Oh thought I, Henry Fogel. We met Henry and Fran Fogel on the cruise we did to Vietnam last Xmas, I did tell you about that didn't I?! Henry had been the Manager of the Chicago Phil. for many years, and will retire soon. We had dinner with them a few times, and they were a joy to be with, often telling us tales about orchestra life - this one I added to my diary. - There are about 100 players/members of an orchestra, rising to 130 with stage staff, electrician's etc. etc., plus the Soloists. Millions of pounds worth of musical instruments and all the baggage.
TRY TAKING THAT LOT ON TOUR.
When they reach their hotel his staff check them in. They know the names and faces and passports, so can do the job quickly, if the hotel agrees that is, if not chaos ensues. His staff take bags to rooms and pick them up again on leaving.
Concert Halls are checked out and he uses his own signs for dressing rooms. Ladies WC, Gents WC. Main Hall, Rehearsal Rooms, Concert Hall etc., because they are often in foreign languages. They have just spent a month in Japan, and people were still asking him where the Dressing Rooms were when they left.
He has to watch for them snuggling things in their instrument cases too. One Shopaholic Harpist liked old paintings, and got away with it for years, as the harp weighs in at 1 ton.
Once in Russia a truck carrying millions of pounds worth of instruments broke its axle miles from anywhere, no mobile phone coverage in Russia, so the local police had to form an armed guard. They got the contents to their frantic owner's ½ an hour after rehearsals started.
They also lost all the food supplies on that trip, and never got them back. Russian priorities! The food they ate was unbelievable apparently, but no one died'
That's Show Business.
Ethne Brown
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