About conducting a wind orchestra and his path into strategy consulting - Hanna Hellenbroich-Schrader (Personnel Management) in conversation with Franziskus Linsmann about his motivation to work in cultural consulting at actori.

 

Hello Julius, how nice to have you in my interview.
Greetings to you, Hanna.

You have been working in consulting at actori since August 2022 and at the same time pursuing your passion for conducting. How did you come to actori?
I came to actori through my desire to support and develop various cultural institutions. I originally come from both the artistic and pedagogical fields of music, having studied trombone and wind orchestra conducting/conducting and gained experience in theatre and music schools. On my way to becoming a music school director - that was my original goal at the time - I then did a certificate in cultural management. Once I had successfully completed this, I realised that I didn't want to limit myself to just one cultural institution or one specific area, but would much rather accompany different institutions on their way to a good future. To be honest, there is often a lot of catching up to do here. My thoughts quickly turned to consulting, I looked around the market, came across actori as a leading company in this field and applied without further ado - fortunately successfully! Of course, I don't want to give up conducting completely because of this and I'm happy that I can always realise my passion alongside my work.

Are there any parallels between your work as a strategy consultant and as a conductor?
Absolutely, in principle two things are crucial in both activities. Firstly, a clear vision and secondly, the ability to win people over to this vision or to ‘take them along’ on the way there. Even the most sophisticated strategy is useless if it doesn't pursue an overarching goal and you can't anchor it in such a way that the people behind it want to realise it. It's the same in music. Performances achieve something when they give the audience an experience, a special moment. As a conductor, it is my job to develop this something and then convey it. At the beginning of the rehearsal phase, all the musicians bring their own ideas and conceptions to the table. This makes it all the more important to remain open to taking on board ideas and at the same time not lose sight of your own vision. Of course, as everywhere else, it's not always just about the cause itself, but also about understanding the social fabric or the people and their needs. Ultimately, something good is always created when all the ideas can be brought together to create something ‘common’.

Very exciting, could this also be transferred to the work at actori and the counselling of cultural institutions?
Sure, working on projects places very similar demands on me. Of course, it's not always our job to implement the developed concepts in the organisation. It's often a case of first creating a transparent basis for decision-making, and only then is it possible to implement them. Regardless of the type of project, however, a clear vision for the result is needed and an openness to include all perspectives and bring them together to create this ‘common ground’. I am sure that this is one of the key reasons why our collaboration with clients is often perceived as very positive, even when it comes to challenging issues, and why the institutions feel well looked after and understood.

I can imagine that the proximity to music makes your work with customers of these organisations even easier, or how would you describe it?
I can't say for sure whether it makes the work itself much easier. Of course, it helps to be able to draw on your own experience and to have an understanding of the structures and customs. Nevertheless, every institution is different and you have to familiarise yourself deeply in order to develop a real understanding of the individual situation on site. I would say that my own experience is often a door opener and always gives me a little leap of faith. True to the motto: Birds of a feather flock together. However, the subsequent work remains the same and is ultimately measured by the results.

How do you see the future of orchestras in Germany? In terms of young talent, but also in terms of audience development?  
I'm not worried about orchestras and the next generation of musicians - on the contrary: live and acoustic music has a fascination all of its own, which will certainly continue. But of course, cultural institutions themselves are currently facing various challenges. There is still a lot of catching up to do to make themselves fit for the future; in addition to the standard issue of digitalisation, I believe this also applies in particular to modernising the actual offer and the way they are addressed. Traditional culture and cultural events should return more frequently to not only preserving and perfecting the historical, but also focussing on aspects such as networking, discourse and a sense of community for a broader target group. Many are doing this or have already set out on this path, but in my opinion there is often still room for improvement. I myself would increasingly like to see more from individual events than just the concert itself. Cultural events should be places of well-being where everyone can participate for the reasons that are important to them. Exchange, a critical look at issues, community or simply switching off and listening. For me, orchestral music has a very special effect here and - provided the setting is right - can connect and facilitate all of this!

You quickly became part of the team, what has been your project highlight in the last two years?
I arrived at actori really quickly. The team gave me a very warm welcome and I immediately felt at home. Despite the good dialogue with you and the positive impression in the job interview, the change to actori was also a blind flight. From a music school in the public sector to the private sector and, what's more, to the fast-moving consulting industry: I had to embark on a completely new and unfamiliar path, facing an unfamiliar everyday life and a way of working that I had never experienced before. However, the team and the well-structured onboarding process picked me up perfectly and integrated me quickly. That's why I enjoyed the work and everyday life at actori right from the start and the great thing is: the longer I've been here and the more I talk to others outside actori about the work and everyday life here, the more I appreciate it and the happier I am to have taken this step.
I don't want to pick out a single project highlight, I'm at actori precisely because I can get to know so many different things. There have therefore been many wonderful experiences and moments of success: from the first completed document, the first press conference, the dialogue with politicians to tours of the buildings with an intensive look behind the scenes, special and personal moments in interviews or the exchange with the entire staff meeting at a building.
However, one of the highlights, regardless of the projects, is certainly the pleasant working atmosphere and the collegial interaction within the team. Everyone needs to be enthusiastic about culture, education and entertainment as well as being able to think objectively and analytically. From my point of view, this combination attracts great people and I am always happy to meet my colleagues in the office and to know that everyone is there for everyone else.

If you had the chance to conduct a professional orchestra today, what would you like to perform and with which orchestra?
I come from the wind orchestra scene, so I'll limit my answer to that. Apart from the police and armed forces orchestras and the Saxon Wind Philharmonic, we only have project orchestras in the professional sector and no professional orchestras. I would like to see a change here for the cultural landscape as such - but for me personally, I don't really need one to conduct. In my time as a conductor and lecturer, I have met so many fantastic musicians, both professional and amateur, with whom you could put together a wonderful orchestra. The performance would certainly be something very epic. I am easily inspired by ‘big things’. For my Master's degree, I had already planned a combination of the university's wind orchestra and my home association: one work with an orchestra on stage and a band running through the hall, another work together with an organ. All of this had to be cancelled due to corona, but we still had a great concert with an ensemble. I think it would go in this direction: a large work that encompasses the concert with a mixture of symphonic music, quiet counterpoints, little gimmicks in between that make the audience smile and a gigantic finale with a fat sound, as they say. Unfortunately, I don't have the perfect work for it yet, but who knows, if I manage to put the orchestra together, the commissioned composition might not be far off.

 

 

Team