Ron Spigelman's Job is Not Conducting

Not just conducting, at any rate. Instead, the Springfield Symphony Orchestra’s turnaround king has grand plans to make the SSO more accessible to more of the public than it has ever been—and that isn’t the whole score.

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"You can’t please everyone, but you have to try,” says Ron Spigelman, the Aussie-transplant conductor of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. Hardly the words of your traditional conductor of a serious symphony. Classical venues have a long tradition of a “take it or leave it” mentality regarding their art. There is something about not just the symphony, but classical music in general, that tends to turn some people off and conjure images of oppressively uptight snobs in top hats, monocles and fur coats. And Ron Spigelman sincerely hopes to change that, at least in 417-land.

Ron Spigelman and his kids get musical with one dad-sized and two kid-sized instruments.

“People have this vision of the unapproachable maestro, with the perfectly coiffed hair, a man versed in all of the ancient languages,” Spigelman says. “This art form, running a symphony, is very good at being elitist and favoring the people who have the means. It cancels out a lot of possible participation. That’s not me. I have a skill, and I want to share that.” And since 2004, he has shared it: pressuring for a lowering of prices for students, giving more free concerts, and volunteering his skills and the skills of the Springfield Symphony to anyone who is willing to give it a listen. And although it makes us beam with pride at such an ambitious attitude, you must wonder: Is it possible or even worth it to appeal to absolutely every person in 417-land? Or is Spigelman bucking a trend of snobbery in classical music that’s more than ready to be put out of its misery?

Spigelman’s road to the Springfield Symphony has been a long one, spanning three continents and appointments in myriad musical settings. Spigelman was born in 1968 in England before moving to Australia as a young boy, lending him a rather interesting hybrid accent. He excelled at playing the trumpet and used it as his focus while majoring in music. He attended the Royal Academy of Music in London and received a Graduate of the Royal Schools of Music honor degree, the equivalent of an American B.A. Six years ago, he received an honorary doctorate from the school. After successive stints in Adelaide, Australia; San Angelo and Fort Worth, Texas, and the Ballet Arlington, Spigelman became Associate Conductor for the Buffalo, New York Philharmonic. It was there that he first heard of a job in Springfield, Missouri. It was his first shot at becoming a full-on conductor, something most musicians never get a crack at. “A friend of mine in the philharmonic, Betsy Reeds, said I’d love it there, so I said ‘what the heck’ and applied,” he says. It was a long shot; more than 200 very qualified people applied for departing conductor Apo Hsu’s position. But Spigelman got it and came down to give the Ozarks a test run. Spigelman became smitten with the opportunities in the city, but he still had one thing at home to take care of. “I had promised Betsy that if I got the appointment I’d let her solo, and I had to keep my word!” he says. “She came down here last year and did a wonderful flute solo.”

Spigelman differed radically from Hsu, who never maintained residence in 417-land. Her distance from the community itself reportedly irked some board members, who never really saw her as being interested in doing more than the bare minimum. They were looking for someone a little more hands-on, and they found what they were looking for in an extrovert like Spigelman. He relocated permanently within a year of his appointment and immediately set to integrate the symphony with the community. “I never wanted to just be the conductor of a symphony here,” he says. “A prevalent idea is that the community is supposed to serve the arts. I really think the opposite is true. It is the job of the arts to support the community. It’s not my vision; it’s Springfield’s.” Almost on cue, I hear the squeals of rambunctious children and inquire about Spigelman’s own community. He has two kids: Noah, 11, and Elijah, 5, with his wife, Lisa, who also serves as the symphony’s director of marketing. “We had Noah in Fort Worth while I was appointed there and Elijah in Buffalo,” he says. “So we’ve had a kid the last two places I’ve been. But we don’t have plans for a third quite yet.”

On the guiding principle of selflessness, Spigelman has taken an unusual approach to his concerts: For one, he takes requests. “At the beginning of the year, we have everyone in the audience write out things they’d like to hear: classical, pop, whatever. Then we make an attempt to play at least one thing from every sheet at least once, but usually more.” I asked if the ubiquitous “Freebird” made the list; but sadly, it did not, although Spigelman had to think about it.

Not alienating the current concert-goers is still a big concern of his. When a “subscriber” (season ticket holder) decides not to renew for a coming season, Spigelman personally gives that person a call. I asked Ron, isn’t that a little obtrusive? Don’t you let breakups just be?