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Richard Dumas, a member of the trumpet section for 20 or more years has assumed the position of Orchestra Personnel Manager. Without doubt, this is a time consuming and sometimes frustrating job. In a “per service” orchestra such as the ECSO, it is often difficult to keep all the seats on stage filled. “Per service” indicates that the musicians are not full-time employees. Most of our musicians have signed an agreement to play at our concerts. However, occasions arise when they request an absence from a rehearsal or concert cycle. Even though we have a substitute list of auditioned players, it can still involve a mountain of phone calls, especially when it is a last minute cancellation. A good Personnel Manager is a key ingredient in the quality of the performance. He/she can make decisions that directly affect the concert. Add to that the duties involved with running auditions, getting contracts out in a timely fashion, obtaining official paperwork and creating the payroll list, and you have some idea of what Rich Dumas has to do.
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