The Detroit Symphony Orchestra, struggling to find its feet after a bitter six-month strike, has suffered another loss. Its concertmaster of 23 years, Emmanuelle Boisvert, is moving to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra as an associate concertmaster. The announcement, which came on Wednesday, was made not by the Detroit Symphony but by a committee of orchestra members that was set up during the strike and sponsored their own concerts. The orchestra’s spokeswoman, Elizabeth Weigandt, confirmed the move and said Ms. Boisvert had told the players but not yet formally informed orchestra management. “Management has the news release, and that’s what we’ve got,” she said.
Stradivarius violin on loan to the DSO's concertmaster Emmanuelle Boisvert photographed at Orchestra Hall in Detroit on Friday Dec 20,2002. / Special to the Free Press
In a statement, Ms. Boisvert said she performed with Dallas during the strike several times and, in what could be seen as a stab at Detroit’s management, said she marveled at the Dallas Symphony’s “commitment to classical music, the intrinsic respect offered to musicians by the administration and esteemed music director, Jaap van Zweden, and the emphasis they place on communication and teamwork at all levels.”
Ms. Boisvert said she had planned to finish her career in Detroit, but the Dallas Symphony “presented me with an opportunity I simply couldn’t refuse.” Deciding to leave was “heart wrenching,” she said.
The Detroit Symphony’s principal timpanist, Brian Jones, is also joining the Dallas orchestra, according to the news release. The orchestra resumed concerts in April after a settlement that produced large pay cuts.
