Minnesota Orchestra trumpeter is rare conservative in classical world: ‘It’s become much harder’

Minnesota Orchestra principal trumpet Manny Laureano did something last Saturday that most professional musicians will never do. He marched off stage in the middle of a concert. He didnt come back again, either.

His reason? The evenings guest artist, piano-pop musician Rufus Wainwright, took a dig at the GOPs tax bill while bantering between songs. Its a call to arms, Wainwright said of the controversial bill. We have to fight for this country.

The politically conservative trumpeter was so upset that he made a split-second decision to exit the concert, leaving his colleagues in the horn section to cover several meaty parts (including Laureanos trumpet solo, an orchestra spokesperson confirmed). His actions set off a firestorm, too, inspiring hundreds of digital commenters not to mention admiring posts from a few conservative bloggers.

Ditching the concert was a clear violation of his contract, Laureano told the Star Tribune. He met privately Wednesday with Minnesota Orchestra CEO Kevin Smith to discuss disciplinary actions (none were announced). He also sat down to discuss what its like to be center-right, as he calls himself, in the strongly liberal arts world. Laureanos comments were lightly edited for clarity.

Q: Were you surprised by the scale of the reaction to your walk-off?

A: Yes. When I did it I knew there would be ramifications. It was a completely spur-of-the-moment thing. When Rufus Wainwright made his comments, I felt completely unwanted that he would not want anything to do with me if he knew who I was and what I believed.

Q: In your 37 years with the Minnesota Orchestra, have you ever experienced anything like Wainwrights comments before?

A: Not this strongly. The division that has happened in our society this year, seemingly willfully, has really bothered me. Its gotten much worse. I think people are more exercised about things they would ordinarily internalize.

Q: Were you surprised by the strength of your own feelings?

A: Yes, I was. It takes a lot to push my buttons. But this particular tirade of divisiveness just really hit me in a spot that made me feel like I could not sit there and tacitly be seen as in agreement. Ive never done anything like that before in a performance.

Q: Is it difficult to hold conservative political beliefs in the heavily liberal arts industry?

A: Yes, it is difficult, and its become much harder. Its very important to make the distinction between when we are playing in the orchestra and when were not. When were playing, were a unified group, doing what we do. But outside that situation you have to be constantly on your guard, wondering what people are going to say to you whether its just going to be a pleasantry or whether theyre going to vent. Interestingly, when youre on stage, thats the safest place to be and that got taken away from me in Saturdays performance.

Q: Are you saying that its wrong for a performer to express political views of any kind, conservative or liberal, at an orchestral event?

A: I think we should separate political events from social events. For example, when 9/11 happened, it was appropriate for our conductor Eiji Oue to come out and make the philosophical point that through tragedy we have to endure, beat the bad guys by enduring. That was something you couldnt disagree with, whatever political stripe you were. But when you start saying, This group of people are the ones who are going to solve your problems, and this group are the ones who are going to give you more problems, thats no longer a philosophical statement thats a statement of ideology.

Q: So if classical events arent for politics or ideology, what are they for?

A: The audience comes to Orchestra Hall primarily to hear the orchestra play. Not to listen to music as an escape, but to have things added to their lives. I dont think theyre looking for things they already have access to at home, like the news. The music doesnt necessarily unite people, it spurs them to individual thoughts to open their minds, not close them. That is why I was so offended on Saturday.

Q: Should orchestras be worried about guest artists making political comments from the concert platform?

A: I dont think people are interested in coming to concerts and feeling theyre in a re-education camp. The great composers give us the opportunity to think for ourselves. Getting political on stage robs you of that opportunity to think for yourself. With all the high-level intensity were experiencing politically at the moment, wouldnt it be nice to be able to go to a concert and get that off your mind for two hours, not have more of it?

Q: Some composers do have strong political views, though, dont they?

A: Is there a better exemplar of that than Aaron Copland? His views were more than decidedly leftist. And yet when you think of American music and you want that patriotic fervor to be ringing through your heart, youll put on his Third Symphony or Appalachian Spring. But you dont hear his politics in his music. What you hear is a philosophical love of his country.

Q: Its been quite a week for you, with all the media attention. Would you do the same thing again in a similar situation?

A: Ive been asking myself that question over and over, especially now that I see the problems its causing for the youth symphony orchestra I work with [Laureano also serves as co-artistic director and conductor for Minnesota Youth Symphonies]. People are going onto our Facebook page and writing horrible things. According to one writer I am a bigoted right-wing homophobe. And Im not. I like it when people get along. This is a road Ive never traveled before Ive never been the center of a controversy.

Terry Blain is a freelance classical music critic. Reach him at [email protected].