By RUBENS RUSSOMANNO RICCIARDI*

Apology to a worthy concertmaster, unfairly dismissed from the Goiás Philharmonic Orchestra

Due to the neoliberal culture industry, which determines people's consciousness in an almost hegemonic way, few people today know what the shoulder of an orchestra. However, this is a violinist who exercises institutional leadership that is not only artistic – whose presence is essential for good collective performance, in addition to establishing the synchronized movement of the bows on the strings – but also administrative. The shoulder He is a natural representative of the demands and other needs of his colleagues – ensuring, as he should, together with the conductor and artistic direction, the dignity of work in an orchestra.

We are referring to the shoulder Abner Landim, recently dismissed from the Goiás Philharmonic Orchestra. Our apology for his professional performance, both in artistic matters and in respecting the dignity of the musician's profession, aims to promptly reinstate his duties. We therefore protest against his dismissal. We hope that this injustice will be reversed and that due respect for symphonic professionals will be promoted, prioritizing the human dignity that should prevail in the world of work.

With this apology, we would like to expose what has happened in recent weeks at the Goiás Philharmonic Orchestra, in particular, the unsupportive conduct of its principal conductor, the Englishman Neil William Thomson. In an orchestra, we expect, especially from those in positions of responsibility, a professional performance that guarantees decent working conditions for everyone, in a permanent democratic dialogue – far from narcissistic attitudes that distort the artistic and work environment, harming not only the musicians, but the entire community.

Unfortunately, it is still more the norm than the exception: the summary dismissal of musicians who have positioned themselves against the precariousness of artistic jobs and who, by demanding improvements in working conditions, as well as respect for the smooth running of rehearsals – even fulfilling their own mission as shoulder – suffer sudden repression. It is also known that the shoulder of an orchestra – the aforementioned first violin principal – plays, among other functions, a role of artistic, technical and also political leadership. This leadership cannot be alienated: the shoulder has the responsibility to represent and defend the interests of the orchestra as a whole. For this reason, it finds itself in a publicly exposed situation. Not infrequently, in the symphonic work environment, the shoulder is the first to face the arbitrariness of higher authorities.

This is the case, described here, of Abner Landim – shoulder for over nine years of the Goiás Philharmonic Orchestra. The situation is made worse by the involvement of the English conductor, his immediate superior, who had been neglectful when it was necessary to defend the musicians in their demands for improvements of various kinds in the work environment. In fact, a principal conductor with artistic direction duties should be the first to fight for dignity in the working conditions of an orchestra – and never punish his shoulder in the legitimate assignment of their functions.

Abner Landim was fired on November 12, 2024. On the same day of his dismissal, a first letter from the musicians' committee was presented asking for clarification. The following day, November 13, an unsuccessful first meeting between the English conductor and the aforementioned musicians' committee took place. On November 18, a larger public statement was made: a Menu (dated November 15), containing the signatures of 50 musicians of the Goiás Philharmonic Orchestra (a total of 55), with which they not only criticize, but also disapprove of the dismissal – in addition to arguing in favor of shoulder, for his artistic and institutional contribution, defined by his peers as “our shoulder, leader of the orchestra”, who “assumed his role with responsibility”.

The 50 musicians of the Goiás Philharmonic Orchestra, signatories of the letter against the dismissal of shoulder, drew attention to the fact that the shoulder Abner Landim not only defended his fellow musicians, but also the English conductor himself when he received external criticism. The dismissal of the shoulder by the English conductor, therefore, does not only represent incivility, but also ingratitude.

Abner Landim was fired because, fulfilling his role as shoulder, had been demanding that (a) rehearsals not be interrupted by outsiders and that the dignity of artistic work be maintained; (b) rehearsals be respected, as well as concomitant renovations, in the same physical space, not put the health of the musicians at risk (there were cases of nails and padlocks falling from the ceiling); (c) parts of a musical work do not reach the musicians in poor editions; (d) the English conductor takes a stand and demands respect from those outside the orchestra; (e) resolve material problems such as, for example, the sanitary conditions of the workplace itself, etc.

These, among other demands and claims, remain within the scope of respect for the work of that renowned orchestra, one of the most important in Brazil. Abner Landim has demanded what the English conductor, as the principal conductor of a Brazilian orchestra, should demand: decent conditions for rehearsals and concerts – with a minimum of external interference. In addition to this omission, however, was the unexpected dismissal of the shoulder, due to the autocratic decision of the English conductor.

In this context, a musician is labeled a unionist – as if such an attribute were an indignity – when he fights for decent working conditions, precisely so that situations of moral harassment, material precariousness and humiliation from an artistic point of view do not occur.

These situations, in fact, have been repeated in our sad and dark neoliberal times. It seems that the English maestro was influenced by his compatriot Margaret Thatcher, who, alongside Augusto Pinochet and Ronald Reagan, formed the triad of politicians most hostile to the interests of workers of all time.

It is unacceptable that the English conductor is oblivious to the most urgent demands of his Brazilian orchestra – since his salary is paid with Brazilian public money – and still establishes an antagonistic stance towards his best musicians, Brazilian workers, even firing, without previously giving a warning, the leader who rightly demanded better conditions for everyone.

In view of the above, we reiterate our apology in favor of Abner Landim – that this important shoulder may be reinstated to the Goiás Philharmonic Orchestra: for the good of Brazilian music and for the dignity of the profession of musician in our country.

*Rubens Russomanno Ricciardi is a full professor at the Music Department of USP in Ribeirão Preto and conductor of the USP Philharmonic. Author of the book Against neoliberal identitarianism – an essay by Poíesis Crítica for the support of the arts (countercurrent). [https://amzn.to/4eYrz6b]

The following also sign this apology:

Abraham Saraiva (violist)

Adonhiran Reis (violinist)

Adriano Costa Chaves (bassist)

Alexander Kanji (violinist)

Alexandre Casado (violinist)

Alexander of Leon (violist)

Alexandre Pinatto (violinist)

Analaura de Souza Pinto (pianist)

Anderson Ancelmo (violinist)

Anderson Farinelli (violinist)

André Ficarelli (horn player)

André Luis Giovanini Micheletti (cellist)

André Rosalem (bassist)

Andrea de Araújo Campos (violinist)

Arthur Barbosa (violinist, composer and conductor)

Brian Christopher Fountain (double bass)

Bruno Ladson Mendes (cellist)

Caik Rodrigues (violinist)

Carla Rincon (violinist)

Claudio Cruz (violinist and conductor)

Claudio Rogério Giovanini Micheletti (violinist)

Consuelo Froehner (violinist)

Danilo Valle (timpanist)

Domingos Iunes Elias (clarinetist)

Elina Suris (violinist)

Emmanuele Baldini (violinist and conductor)

Evelyn Carmo (violinist)

Fabian Figueiredo (violinist)

Fabio Chamma (violinist)

Fernando Lopez (trumpeter)

Francisco Krug (violinist)

Gabriel Marin (violist)

Gilberto Ceranto (violinist)

Helena Piccazio (violinist)

Hudson Lima (cellist)

Icarus Smetak (violinist)

Jean Medeiros (flutist)

Joel de Souza (cellist)

Jonathan Xavier (trombonist)

José Gustavo Juliano de Camargo (composer and conductor)

Liliana Chiriac (violinist)

Lincoln Reuel Mendes (bassist and conductor)

Lucas Eduardo da Silva Galon (composer and conductor)

Lucca Zambonini Soares (horn player)

Luiz Ricardo Serralheiro (tuba player)

Marcelo Ramos (cellist and conductor)

Marcio Szulak (percussionist)

Marcos Vinicius Miranda dos Santos (violinist)

Marcus Held (violinist)

Maria Cecilia Moita (pianist)

Maria Cristina Kalinowski Canetraro (violinist)

Maria Cristina Poles (flutist)

Maria Fernanda Krug (violinist)

Mariana Amaral (cellist)

Mariya Krastanova (violinist)

Marta Vidigal (clarinetist)

Mauricio Soares Carneiro (clarinetist)

Mauro Lombardi Brucoli (cellist)

Mizael da Silva Junior (violinist)

Pablo de Leon (violinist)

Paulo Eduardo de Barros Veiga (violinist)

Paulo Gonçalves (violinist)

Pedro Gadelha (bassist)

Pedro Henrique Alliprandini (clarinetist)

Priscila Plata Rato (violinist)

Rafael Bion Loro (violinist)

Raphael Batista (violinist)

Raphael Campos da Paixão (trombonist)

Ricardo Bem-Haja (violinist)

Ricardo Palmezano (violinist)

Roberta Marcinkowski (violist)

Roberto Ring (cellist)

Robson Fonseca (cellist)

Rodrigo Yugi Nagamori (oboist)

Rubens Russomanno Ricciardi (composer and conductor)

Sara Cecilia Cesca (violinist)

Shinobu Saito (violinist)

Simone Ritzmann Savytzky (violinist)

Tercia Oliveira da Silva (violinist)

Thiago Araújo (trumpeter)

Tiago Naguel (clarinetist)

Ugo Kageyama (violinist)

Vagner Rebouças (horn player)

Vinicius Batista (violinist)

Vitor Zafer (violinist, composer and conductor)

Walter Müller (double bass player)

Wellington Rebouças (violinist)

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