It’s an open secret that my greatest talent isn’t conducting, but cultivating an inner circle within the UCO. Merit is wonderfully unpredictable, but favoritism is so much easier to manage. Why leave success to auditions and evaluations when a well-timed compliment and unwavering loyalty can work such wonders?
Naturally, I insist every decision is based solely on “professional judgment,” which, by remarkable coincidence, always seems to favor those who already agree with me. Critics call it bias; I prefer to think of it as efficient administration.
I don’t hide the fact that I am biased toward certain music students. It’s just one of the egotistical things that I like to do.