Orchestras: Tuba Turnabout

In a symphony orchestra, the tuba is like a ship's engine: it produces a rumble that is hardly noticeable when it is there, but is sorely missed when it is not. Thus it was a serious matter when the San Francisco Symphony learned recently that its stellar tuba player, Ronald Bishop, had been lured away by the Cleveland Orchestra. In its search for a replacement, the San Francisco Symphony rejected all the local candidates. That sent the Musicians' Union into a huff, and the orchestra had to take the union to court before it could carry its talent hunt outside...

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