Oh no...Edward Higginbottom retiring

[Petrushka]

I feel a trip to Peterborough coming on in the summer.

Doesn't everyone involved secretly enjoy the business of interviews, auditions and appointments? It's all good stuff surely.

It's pretty much like the musical chairs that goes on in the orchestral conducting world, I suppose. However, I agree with Magnificat that whatever they say in public the authorities at Peterborough must be highly annoyed to have to go through the whole process again so soon but then this kind of thing goes on all the time in the private sector. As I mentioned above, I had expected Robert Quinney to have remained at Peterborough for a while and then been offered the job at King's once Stephen Cleobury had retired. For all I know that may still happen.

[ardcarp]

We aren't in a 1960s public school (at least most of us aren't) so why all these initials and acronyms?! His name is Robert Quinney.

Sorry GJ.

[teamsaint]

Any kind of experience of modern work places and recruitment procedures makes one automatically suspicious of the meteoric rise.
Suspicions about why or how how high profile appointments like this are made, (and lets throw in presenting " Breakfast" for good measure ) are well justified.

For all that , Quinney may be perfect for the job, and there is now a great opportunity at Peterborough , where those in charge of recruitment may have learned some valuable lessons.

[DracoM]

Well, all I can say is that RQ has a heck of a big pair of shoes to fill at NCO, and I wish all parties well in the transition.

What will be fascinating is whether / how he changes the idiosyncratic sound of the NCO trebles.

[Gabriel Jackson]

Sorry GJ.

Very funny!
It's actually quite snobbish - not everyone knows to whom all these initials and acronyms refer. But perhaps that's the idea...

[DracoM]

Robert Quinney's name had been mentioned a number of times. His was a name that was at the HEART of this thread, hence it was hardly difficult to unpick. It is not a secret code, it saves time when typing. It is not 'snobbish': initials / nicknames/ acronyms are shorthand used in practically every branch of human communication.

Grow up.

[Miles Coverdale]

Fair enough, but I think the Dean and Chapter of Peterborough, whatever they may say publicly, can't be at all happy to be facing another long haul of adverts, short lists, interviews and auditions and the expense involved to find another DoM so soon after making the present appointment.

They don't necessarily have to do that. They could go back to whoever was second on their shortlist last time. Advertising it openly a second time might actually put off those who applied last time. After all, who would want to be turned down twice for the same job?

[Magnificat]

Sorry, my reply came out all wrong - I meant that everyone else should have noticed, and you shouldn't have needed to point it out.

Jean

I wonder what New College really wanted?

It seems to me this was first and foremost an academic appointment with the add on that they were looking for someone who could also probably do a reasonably good job with the choir.

No doubt Christopher Robinson was headhunted to replace George Guest at St John's Cambridge but he was a vastly experienced choir-trainer as well as, no doubt, having the academic qualifications required.

VCC

[Petrushka]

They don't necessarily have to do that. They could go back to whoever was second on their shortlist last time. Advertising it openly a second time might actually put off those who applied last time. After all, who would want to be turned down twice for the same job?

Or to put it another way, who would apply second time for a job they were turned down for first time? Again, this stuff happens all the time in the private sector and I'm confident that Peterborough will find the right candidate in due course.

[jean]

No doubt Christopher Robinson was headhunted to replace George Guest at St John's Cambridge but he was a vastly experienced choir-trainer as well as, no doubt, having the academic qualifications required.

That's not the point though, is it?

There's been scarcely veiled disapproval of RQ* for taking a job and then applying for another one so soon afterwards - but if anyone's to blame, it's New College for making him an offer he couldn't refuse.

*I can't see any objection to initials when full names have already been mentioned on the thread.

But if I start wondering how long James O'Donnell was at Westminster Cathedral before being headhunted by the Abbey, I refuse to use those silly names for the institutions only known to people in the know.

[Gabriel Jackson]

Robert Quinney's name had been mentioned a number of times. His was a name that was at the HEART of this thread, hence it was hardly difficult to unpick. It is not a secret code, it saves time when typing. It is not 'snobbish': initials / nicknames/ acronyms are shorthand used in practically every branch of human communication.

Except they don't communicate anything if people don't know to whom they refer (as has been noted by posters here more than once).

[Gabriel Jackson]

But if I start wondering how long James O'Donnell was at Westminster Cathedral before being headhunted by the Abbey, I refuse to use those silly names for the institutions only known to people in the know.

James was at Westminster Cathedral for 18 years in total, 12 of them as Master of Music.

[jean]

I realised when I looked it up that he'd been there a lot longer than I'd thought, long enough I suppose not to be told off for moving on, but I was still very sorry to see him go.

[Magnificat]

[QUOTE=jean;381822]

There's been scarcely veiled disapproval of RQ* for taking a job and then applying for another one so soon afterwards - but if anyone's to blame, it's New College for making him an offer he couldn't refuse.

jean,

Perhaps New College or any other college/cathedral should pay compensation when they entice away another establishment's choir manager, in the same way as football clubs do, before the individual could be expected to leave?!!

VCC

[Gabriel Jackson]

jean,

Perhaps New College or any other college/cathedral should pay compensation when they entice away another establishment's choir manager, in the same way as football clubs do, before the individual could be expected to leave?!!

VCC

Football clubs also sack their managers with extraordinary frequency...