Musically and historically, two grand openings grace the city every concert season: the San Diego Symphony Orchestra in October and the San Diego Opera in January.

    For 1996-97, of course, only one opening will occur; the San Diego Symphony is no more. However, the soul searching on why and where to go from here must continue.

    Right up front, a basic question has to be posed: Who is working for whom? (Rest assured, the answer is important.)

    Most of the parties to the sad symphony saga, especially the musicians who were members of the former San Diego Symphony Orchestra, have totally lost sight of both question and answer. Yet, any hope of establishing a new symphonic ensemble in the city ultimately rests with asking the question mercilessly and answering it honestly.

    Now, read my lips: As stated, the San Diego Symphony Orchestra is no more. The SDSO has not existed since the non-profit San Diego Symphony Orchestra Association closed its doors and declared bankruptcy in June.

    Therefore, the musicians who call themselves San Diego Symphony musicians are no such thing. Organizations that purport to solicit support for the musicians of the SDSO aren’t, really. The affected musicians are out-of-work individuals, no different than anyone else who lost an income when their company went kaput. The only recognizable organization to which they all belong is Local 325 of the American Federation of Musicians (San Diego).

    As a critic and music writer in this town for nearly 17 years, I have both respected and admired the orchestra when it was a fact. The same has been true of many of its individual members. However, in the last few months, the musicians of the former SDSO have alienated me completely, at least as a group.

    On one hand, the musicians want the respect of the community as artists and remuneration commensurate with their perception of their placement high up in the white-collar workers' chain by virtue of talent and training. At the same time, they insist on handling their affairs in the most confrontational blue-collar manner through a union that still resides somewhere in the '30s of John L. Lewis and the coal mines.

    The final flames of indignation flared at the opening of the SDSO bankruptcy proceedings. There's no question about former SDSO musicians' claim to back pay. They were employees of an organization that went defunct while owing them for services rendered. They challenged the court's selection of a bankruptcy trustee. That, too, is allowable under the law.

    But when the musicians' representative at those challenge proceedings went on record explaining that the action was being taken because the players could not trust anyone from San Diego to treat them fairly, well, that burned to a crisp whatever residual respect for them as a group I might have had.

    To demand consideration, respect and remuneration from a community and then to maintain that selfsame community cannot be trusted is the height of egregious posturing and demands nothing but contempt.

    So the big question rears its head: Who are the symphony musicians working for? The defunct symphony association? Their union? No, the community of San Diego - whom they maintain is not to be trusted. Why, then, should we concern ourselves with their welfare now or in future? The community wants its music; who makes it, specifically, is becoming increasingly unimportant.

    Musicians, per se, are a dime a dozen. If you don’t believe me, call any functioning symphony organization and ask how many violinists apply these days every time they need a couple of desk players. Musicians are not symphony musicians until some entity establishes the organizational and financial structure to support an orchestra.

    While the SDSO liquidation moves forward, word around town is that the money's there to put an orchestra back in business in San Diego but of a smaller size with a shorter season.

    Stop right there. The symphony orchestra is a product of the second two-thirds of the 19th century when composers wrote larger music that placed increasing size and instrumentation demands upon the orchestra. Anything smaller than about 70 instruments is a bloated chamber orchestra and cannot perform the music the symphony orchestra came into existence to play; the Brahms, Mahler, Tchaikovsky, Strauss, Dvorak, Ravel and Rachmaninoff.

    When it comes to chamber orchestras for all the grand music up through early Beethoven, Mozart, Bach and Haydn, we already have a nice ensemble without enough work to do, the San Diego Chamber Orchestra.

    Ultimately, San Diegans must determine how much service they want from trained musicians in toto; i.e. the community must define its needs before it asks people to commit to employment.

    The answer must address how many musicians, trained to what level, in what specific disciplines are required to play symphony orchestra music, chamber orchestra music, opera orchestra music, traveling show pit music, ballet music, and to provide smaller ensembles for all other types of presentations and occasions to teach our young people from preschool through college.

    Figure that out first, then hire a central body of excellent performers, offering them full employment all year round. To do so the egos and the provincialism of the various local musical producing organizations will have to be throttled and artistic, civic and governmental organizations work together.

    Until everyone from the mayor's office to the life guard's tower understands who's working for whom, that the people decide what music they want, how much, what kinds, when, etc., and goes about getting it in a reasonable, 21st century way, there will be no more orchestral music on the grand scale in San Diego.

    An author, lecturer and consultant, John Willett has critiqued music and dance for more than 16 years.