Leadership - The Virtuoso

The virtuoso


• Lyndall Crisp

• The Australian

• March 17, 2010 11:38AM



Tognetti says there is rivalry in the group, but in a collegiate way - "we're playing the same music and pretty much on the same level," he says.

LIKE many successful people, Richard Tognetti was not a born leader. "I was not a leader at school. I was never really one to be part of the group, let alone lead the group. I didn't want anything to do with leading school riots certainly. But I definitely wasn't a follower either."

Nevertheless, the lad from Wollongong morphed into a brilliant violinist, conductor and “by necessity” a leader, as artistic director of the internationally successful Australian Chamber Orchestra. He is also artistic director of the Maribor Festival in Slovenia, Niseko Winter Music Festival in Japan and Vasse Felix Festival in Australia.

“I don’t lead because I feel I have to lead. I know I have a message in music, a strong musical personality that I want to express. Yet the repertoire I want to play requires more than one person. So it’s out of necessity that I end up in a leadership role,” he says.

It was while studying at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music that Tognetti, and others, began to realise he was someone his colleagues admired and would follow. It was his interpretation of music, as much as his extraordinary versatility as a violinist performing on period, modern and electric instruments, that inspired those around him.

Today, as well as shepherding an orchestra of 17 highly skilled musicians through concert performances, tours and special appearances here and overseas, Tognetti, 45, reaches out across other art forms and artistic styles to collaborate with artists as diverse as singer Neil Finn, photographer Bill Henson and artist-cartoonist Michael Leunig. He was also co-composer of the score for Peter Weir’s Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, and tutored the film’s star, Russell Crowe, in violin.

And that’s in addition to planning the ACO’s seasons years ahead and all at a time when it’s become more difficult than ever before to raise funding and attract sponsorship. “We’re a pretty strong ship in that we’re adaptable and we’re small. We thought we were going to suffer more and we had contingency plans. We suffered, but not as much as most.”

He has no formal business training and relies on a strong administrative team. However, he insists on having a foot firmly planted in both the management and musical camps.

“I have a lot to do with the management side,” he says. “If I don’t, then there’s a big chasm between management and the orchestra. We have a highly responsible general manager. I make sure we’re doing the right concerts, going to the right places, playing the right repertoire. If I hear mutterings that things are going badly, then I’ll listen. But it’s not really my role to manage people.”

Positive energy, vision, innovation - they’re all elements of effective leadership. Yet, as Tognetti points out, there are plenty of successful leaders whose modus operandi is the opposite.

“There are quite a few negative leaders who are very good. There are people who create negative energy in a team that maybe creates a positive outcome - conductors such as Toscanini, who didn't do ‘nice’. Too much emphasis is placed on being ‘nice and lovely and jolly’ these days. It's strange but true that Michael Leunig has a cute image, but it’s actually his vicious independent voice that creates his unique resonance.”

“For myself, more often than not I’m being fairly positive about things. But if I’m only being positive, then people can be a bit lax. To lead people you need a steel spirit and resolve.

“I know what I want and how to achieve it in this sphere I work in. That comes from experience. I’ve always been clear about what I want musically. If people don’t know where they stand, then it’s a sign of bad leadership. To them it seems you’re dissembling or hiding the truth, which is not a good thing. You have to be honest. Sometimes if you think the truth is going to hurt, you are overly considerate and that can be a negative.”

Tognetti, 45, holds honorary doctorates from three Australian universities, was made a National Living Treasure in 1999 and his recordings of Bach’s solo violin repertoire for ABC Classics won three consecutive ARIA awards for best classical album (2006-8). This year he was awarded an AO (Officer of the Order of Australia). He spends more than three months each year away from home and his idea of a holiday is to go somewhere else and work.

When it comes to the orchestra he insists on perfection. “If someone’s not performing, you have to take them aside. But we haven’t had many dismissals from the orchestra, something I’m very proud of. On the management side, there have been many more [dismissals] because people apply for jobs without the right experience, yet they show very well in the interview.”

Tognetti has never had a mentor - “you have to work things out on your own” - and doesn’t mentor others, although he’s happy to give advice when asked.

“I find it necessary to be emotionally honest. If I’m in a bad mood, I’m not going to pretend I’m not (as long as it’s for a good reason). I’m not a happy-clappy person, I’m not in a happy clappy profession. We’re expressing quite deep, often tumultuous emotions. I am part of that language.”

One thing he won’t abide is gossip. “If I’m talking about someone behind their back, I won’t continue the conversation unless I feel sure I can say all those things to the person,” he says. “You can’t just backstab people. You must be able to confront them. We have a very good system, a forum with strong rules where people can express their grievances. People can put [their complaint] on the agenda and if we can’t deal with it then and there, we get outside counselling.”

As a man who wakes every day with a dozen new ideas in his head, Tognetti makes it clear he doesn’t want to be overburdened with petty grievances.

“If things are not being run very well - and years ago things were run very badly; there was a lot of learning to do when we started - then you have to listen to petty grievances and take them seriously. If things are going well and you’re still getting petty grievances, you have to look at the person who’s complaining and give them a bit of a psychological slap.

“In a way dealing with a small orchestra is even more difficult because it’s more personal. It’s the proximity. As Stalin said, ‘One man’s death is a tragedy; a platoon’s is a statistic.’ The closer you get, the more personal it is.

“Some members will become friends, some acquaintances and with some you have a wonderful collegial relationship. There’s rivalry whenever you get people together, but here it’s very collegiate. We are all playing the same music and pretty much on the same level. You can’t meddle.”

He feels he’s a strong leader but says that “staying ahead of the pack” is one of the toughest challenges.

“If you’re an independent thinker, then you have to be prepared to be lonely. Sometimes you have to make quite difficult and unpopular decisions. You have to be ready for all that. It happens often. When things are going well, you know something is going to come along [that will test you]. You have to be on your toes and also make sure the people who are following know it’s not all about things being easy.

“Yes, I enjoy leading - certainly more than following - otherwise I wouldn’t do it. There are a myriad of rewards. When things are going poorly, I take responsibility and when things go well ... it’s necessary to have a kind of humility.”

Sometimes he feels the pressure (though surfing helps). “You do become acclimatised to the pressure of performing and leading and dealing with crises. The only way to deal with a crisis is to keep calm. If the pilot is freaking out, then you’re doomed. Sometimes it’s better to put your head down and be fair but cruel, to be considered and apply your experience to making your own decisions without being distracted by listening to too many people.”