For several years now, my printed and on-line comments (Opera-L, the
Moderated Classical Music List, and elsewhere) about Michael Morgan
included a reference which I found today to be incorrect.  Morgan, music
director of the Walnut Creek Festival Opera and the Oakland East Bay
Symphony, suggested that I set the record straight, and I am glad to
do so, especially in order to stop perpetuating the story.

Soon after Morgan came to Oakland some 10 years ago, having conducted the
Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with Louis Farrakhan as the soloist in Chicago
and North Carolina's Gateways Music Festival, sources close to him said
here that Morgan was planning to use Farrakhan as the soloist in the
Beethoven Violin Concerto in Oakland as well.

The venue was to be the first subscription concert of Morgan's orchestra
-- almost all white, playing under an African-American conductor, in a
community constantly, and mostly successfully, struggling with issues of
race.  The Oakland Symphony, predecessor to Morgan's OEBS, was directed
by an other African-American artist, the superbly talented Calvin Simmons,
and for years, I reported on his brilliant and tragically short career.
Calvin's cause was Mozart; could his successor favor Farrakhan instead?

This was at a time when Farrakhan hit his stride in anti-Semitic,
anti-gay, anti-white tirades.  Along with many others, I was deeply
upset by the possibility of his coming to Oakland through the "backdoor"
of the Symphony.  Unlike others, I didn't drop the matter, and kept
mentioning it, even though the alleged plan never materialized.

I don't recall details of a press conference back then, but I believe
Morgan was asked about Farrakhan, and his response was not clear,
although he apparently indicated that he has no plans to engage him.

Fast-forward to 2000, and a note I just received from Morgan:

   "I was looking back through old opera list reports and saw that you
   thought I had tried to engage Louis Farrakhan for a concert in Oakland.
   I'm happy to say that I never did that.  I gave up on the minister
   years before when I couldn't get him to publicly renounce his previous
   statements about Jews, not to mention homosexuals and others.  I
   don't know where these rumors come from but I can assure you I've
   had nothing to do with the man for many years.  I did feel, however,
   that I made some headway during that time towards making my views on
   black antisemitism known to the black community, as I feel it is FAR
   more destructive and corrosive to the black communty than to the
   Jewish.  It is an evil which I believe says more about the hater than
   the hated."

I applaud Morgan's clear, strong statement, and apologize for perpetuating
the story I now understand to be untrue.  When I asked Morgan how the rumor
started in the first place, he wrote the following:

   "I was trying to broker an apology and reconciliation between the
   minister and some of the Jewish leaders in Chicago.  I was in constant
   touch with both sides including a Board Member of the Anti Defamation
   League (who was co-chairing my farewell gala in Chicago) but I could
   never get Farrakhan to go as far as he needed to go.  But my feeling
   is that if you see even the possibility of doing some good in the
   world, you have to try.  Failure is still better than not making the
   attempt.  Haven't seen the man since.

   "I guess some people assumed that I, God forbid, actually agreed
   with him about ANYTHING other than the importance of classical
   music training in the basic education of black kids.  (By the way
   I'm stopped by black kids who have seen the tape of his playing
   Mendelssohn in Chicago and they WERE positively effected by it.)

   "This has brought back a flood of, why don't we just say, `uneven'
   memories.  Just thought you should know.  But I certainly understand
   how you would feel the way you did if you thought I had done that.
   So no hard feelings whatsoever."

Again, I appreciate the essence and tone of the message, and regret not
exploring it before with the man who was suspected of something he now
emphatically denies.

About that long-ago press conference when he was asked the question
outright, Morgan too has difficulty recalling details, but even so,
he takes responsibility:

   "I wish I did (remember), but I'm sure I was trying to dodge the
   question all around and that's what left the wrong impression.
   Plus some of the Nation of Islam types were making noises about the
   Mendelssohn happening out here.  But no one in his right mind would
   try to do such a thing with a standing orchestra.  When we did it
   in Chicago, we had a pickup orchestra of all kinds of people.  Two
   contractors even:  one black and one Jewish.  It was never less than
   interesting.  And come to think of it, I think Farrakhan thought he
   was going to be invited out here since he seemed to think we were
   going to do some kind of world tour together.  Not the only time I've
   known him to be a bit delusional.  He's actually a very complicated
   man and like most people, not entirely good or evil."

My apology applies only to Morgan; if in some way I offended Farrakhan, I
am glad of it.

[log in to unmask], SF
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