The Redlands Symphony has gone through a lot of change since Executive Director Kevin Eberle-Noel took the helm. We sat down with him to reflect on his 4 years of leadership and what he sees for the future of the Redlands Symphony.
When I came to the Redlands Symphony, my goals were pretty big. I wanted to see us transition to a community benefit rather than just a concert presenting organization and I had a goal of building our artistic and educational portfolio of programs. Above all, I wanted to center the community in everything we do on stage and off.
I think we'll always be working on these long-range goals. But, we have made significant progress in the 4 years I've been working with our staff, Board, musicians, and community. We started the Redlands Recital Series, providing more touchpoints and opportunities for connection between our musicians and our community. We professionalized our front of house operations at concerts and some of our internal processes. And, most importantly, we created a new mission, vision, and values package that centers our community in the programs we produce, which manifests through various ticket programs, our Notes of Comfort hospital program, expanded educational programs, and deeper partnerships with new and existing partners. There's still work to do, but we've come a long way.
I'm proud of much of the work we do, honestly. But if I had to pick, it would be the successful search process which brought us our current Music Director, Deanna Tham. That process was very complex, involved many hours compiling data, helping to run committee meetings, and coordinating on-site visits over an 18-month period. It was such a great process that we ran extremely professionally with the help of our Search Committee and staff. I keep joking with our Board that "you only get one of these out of me," but the honest truth is that it was a pleasure to run that search and I'm so pleased with the results. Our future is extremely bright and I'm very much looking forward to working with her over the coming seasons.
Because I'm a tall, big guy, people often find a way of noticing me very easily. Whether that's good or bad is a matter of debate, but I am so thankful that people do seek me out and that we've created an environment at our concerts and events where people feel comfortable giving me feedback in a very honest manner. At my very first concert in October of 2022, we presented an American concert that featured the John Adams Saxophone Concerto. At the intermission as I'm talking with people and doing my laps around the Memorial Chapel, a woman came up to me and said "How dare you make us listen to THAT!" I was puzzled and invited her into conversation, assuming she just hated the work and, likely by extension, all contemporary music. As she shared with me her scathing review of the concerto and the almost visceral reaction she had while listening, it occurred to me that this was actually great feedback. She felt something. She felt something so strongly about the music she heard, she sought out someone "in charge" and wanted to share her thoughts. She could have just left. She could have picked up her coat and walked out the door at the intermission and never look back. But over the course of her conversation with me, it became clear she actually cared very deeply about what she was hearing. I was sure she would never come back after that. I saw her at every concert after that and was happy to take her renewal early for the following season.
As a musician, I always want our audiences to love everything we present. But that interaction changed my perspective because I don't think that's actually the point. I think the point is to use music of varying styles, moods, colors, and timbres to let people either consciously or subconsciously process complex emotions in a way words can't. Maybe my new friend had a really tough week and was frustrated about something that had nothing to do with John Adams; the piece's dissonant, disjunct nature let that frustration surface. Maybe people that loved it are silently yearning for a little less order and a little more frivolity in their lives; the music unlocked that. So now I try not view any feedback as inherently negative (except for when it clearly is) and instead try to think about what made that reaction meet me in the real world...and how our orchestra can help continue doing that.
I am very fortunate to have a history with the Redlands Symphony that pre-dates my tenure as Executive Director. Our principal flutist, Sara Andon, was on my very first jury panel as a music student at U of R in 2003. I wrote (what I think was) a really great paper on Russian ballet in a graduate course taught by our principal clarinetist Dr. Kathryn Nevin. Our former timpanist, Bill Schlitt, has been making me laugh ever since I took his percussion techniques course at U of R in 2005. And so many of our musicians I've had the privilege to interact with and collaborate with when I was the Education Coordinator with RSO from 2011-2013.
However, being the Executive Director is a different role altogether. I think I am an atypical Executive Director in that I am very vocal about my support for our musicians and my advocacy for their interests. I know that without our musicians, the Symphony would just stop. You can't really be a professional music group without the professional music, right? But, I also have a duty I take very seriously to both make prudent financial decisions for long-term health and work to continuously improve the artistic quality of the orchestra in partnership with our Music Director. But I'm very transparent with our musicians about that. And, much like our little example above, I'm proud of the atmosphere I've created in partnership with Ransom Wilson and moving forward will create with Deanna Tham, where our musicians can ask real questions and get real answers. I attend the first rehearsal of every set, if not more, to show our musicians that we're in this together.
The trust we've built is like nothing I've seen before. In previous organizations, relationships between musicians and management have been more contentious than not. But at the Redlands Symphony, I feel like our relationship is an example of the kind of symbiotic partnership any manager should have with their labor force. And, it works for us, which is always the most important thing.
Community is extremely important to me. I firmly believe music should be heard in as many community spaces as possible, not just gatekept behind an ivory tower of the Concert Hall. To that end, I also want to make sure our community reach is measured, affordable to pilot, and ultimately scalable. Since 2022, we've added the Recital Series, which introduced a low price point and a casual setting, our Notes of Comfort program, which brings music into Redlands Community Hospital and other health care organizations, and our special event pop-up concerts at Escape Craft Brewery, which puts musicians from the orchestra in a place where our community is already comfortable. I am so looking forward to supporting Deanna Tham's vision of music in non-traditional spaces because I think people in Redlands will really embrace that idea as a complement to the traditional concert going activity.
I'm a jovial, gregarious person. I diffuse many situations with humor and find that to be such a superpower of mine. I think over the past four years, I've tried to infuse that into leadership. It's so interesting because if you ask 100 leaders what leadership looks like, you'll get 100 answers. And, back to our question about unsolicited feedback, people will make no hesitation in telling you what they think you're doing right, wrong, or otherwise. Over the past four years, I've learned to block most of that out and trust my instincts.
When I first started here in 2022, I thought I had to be tough, blunt, and needed to have all the answers. I'm a Libra, so making I take a very balanced and measured approach to decision making. And when I started here, I had big shoes to fill with my former boss and mentor, Paul Ideker. I also an acutely aware of my youth and my general "green-ness" at being an executive, having only held senior leadership roles previously. But I realized about a year or so in that I was uncomfortable with that. Being stern and having an iron fist doesn't suit my nature. I am those things when I need to be, but I really leaned into what came naturally: being transparent, being honest, and building consensus. Have those traits every bitten me in the back? Of course. But, I've learned that these principles guide my leadership in a way that works for my staff, for most of my Board, for our musicians, and most importantly for our community who have entrusted me to lead the way and steward this incredible cultural resource.
It's hard to not be too ambitious with this question. But, I would love to see an expansion of our mainstage series, maybe from 6 symphonic concerts to 8. I'd love to see a free family concert become a permanent part of our programming. I think in four years, we'll have built a lot more trust and partnership within the community that I think our financial and civic support will increase in a beneficial way. But above all, I think in another 4 years, we're making music at a level we've never made it before and impacting the hearts, minds, and souls of our community like never before.
I would also love for us to be in the development stages of a new performing arts center in town. A permanent home where the Symphony and other groups can present programs for our community to gather, enjoy, and connect, centrally located and available to all. It's a dream and an idea on a whiteboard right now...but I know our community can make it happen.
Nothing makes you feel more vulnerable than a Spotify question. Ok, let's see....
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Dr. Kevin Eberle-Noel is the Executive Director of the Redlands Symphony, a position he has held since 2022. Prior to the Redlands Symphony, Kevin worked in education, production, and artistic planning departments at Palm Beach Opera and the Las Vegas Philharmonic. He received a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Redlands in 2007, a Master of Music in Bassoon Performance from the University of Redlands in 2013, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Bassoon Performance and Literature from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2016. In addition to his role at the Redlands Symphony, Kevin is adjunct faculty in the music department at San Bernardino Valley College and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Association of California Symphony Orchestras (ACSO).
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