Principles of the Board of Directors
Guiding Personnel Practices for Performers
September 23, 1991
The directors of the New Hampshire Music Festival recognize the strong sense of community that exists among Festival performers and they attribute much of the success of the Festival over the years to that attribute. It is their hope that this sense of community will remain an integral part of the NHMF in the years ahead. At the same time, the future success of the Festival also requires that the Organization attract and hold the best possible musical talent. The Directors regard both of these goals – community and attraction of talent – as complementary and mutually supportive, and, in the interest of such goals, they endorse the following principles for personnel practices in the Music Festival.
1. The Directors value the continuity of the orchestra, and, for that reason, they perceive any changes in the membership of the Orchestra as ones that should occur gradually. (At the time of the adoption of these principles, the members of the orchestra are identified on a list prepared by the Music Director and the Executive Director.)
2. Evaluations of musical performance must be fair and equitable, using practices commonly applied in the majority of similar Music Festival orchestras. If in the judgment of the Music Director a member of the orchestra has an artistic deficiency, that member will be informed of the nature of the problem and will have a reasonable opportunity to address it. A musician may be dismissed (in general through the contract renewal process) by the Music Director only for artistic deficiencies, subject to a review process which includes orchestra musicians.
3. If a member of the orchestra has a non-artistic problem, but one that affects the welfare of the Orchestra, the Administrative Personnel committee consisting of the Executive Director, the Music Director, and the Personnel Manager, may take action up to and including termination. In general, the committee is expected to inform the member of the problem and to provide sufficient opportunity for the member to correct it. In certain rare cases, where the problem is of a grave nature and poses serious harm to the welfare of the orchestra, the action may be immediate. Any termination for non-artistic reasons will be reported as soon as possible to the Personnel Committee of the Board of Directors.
4. In all cases, the Board of Directors reserves the right to review all decisions regarding termination and or non-renewal of contract.
5. A one-year leave of absence may be granted to musicians by the Music Director. Musicians who extend their leave for more than one year may forfeit their position in the orchestra.
6. Discrimination against persons on the basis of SEX, race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age or alien status is illegal, and will not
be tolerated.
7. All Employees of the Festival have a right to work in an environment free of discrimination, including freedom from sexual harassment. It is the policy of the Board that no member of the Music Festival may sexually harass another.
8. Personnel practices and decisions may not be arbitrary and capricious, nor reflect the self-interest of an individual. For that reason, they must have the approval of the Administrative Personnel Committee.
The above principles are necessarily general. They must be translated into appropriate personnel practices. Toward that end, the Board of Directors instucts a a committee consisting of the Executive Director of the Festival, the new Music Director, two members of the Orchestra Committee and one as yet unspecified administrative member, as well as the Personnel Manager acting in a non-voting capacity, to fashion a set of practices, carrying out these principles, during the 1992-3 year. This will be done in consultation with the members of the orchestra. Once these practices are defined, they will come before the Board for review and approval. In the interim, personnel decisions will be made in the tradition in which they have been made and in the spirit of the above-stated principles.
These principles were approved by the Board of Directors at its general
meeting on Thursday evening, September 12, 1991
3/3/92
______________________ __________
T. Holmes Moore, President Date
These principles were drafted by the following individuals:
Karen Dirks, Festival Musician, Orchestra Committee
William Farrell, Board Member, Personnel Committee, Chair
James Glazebrook, Festival Musician
Fred Halgedahl, Festival Musician, Orchestra Committee
Jay Lichtmann, Festival Musician, Orchestra Committee
David Merrell, Board Member, Personnel Committee
Peter Milham, Board Member, Personnel Committee
Phil Swett, Board Member, Personnel Committee
Additional assistance was provided by Thomas Nee, Music Director and David Graham, Executive Director.