It appears that William Preucil, esteemed concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra, is having a trying year.
In February, we detailed how Preucil had been accused of propositioning a Cleveland Institute of Music student — and how the school covered up the incident by paying for the girl to transfer [“Sour Notes,” February 14]. Orchestra members also complained that he was running the joint like a musical monarchy. Since the concertmaster’s 1995 arrival, his sister, brother-in-law, and daughter have all secured coveted spots.
Then, in September, the orchestra finally changed its audition practices for the first time in 85 years, deciding against allowing relatives to judge auditions. Without her father, uncle, or aunt judging, Preucil’s daughter Lexi didn’t make the cut.
It’s the kind of year that would drive most men to drink, which is exactly what Preucil did en route to England for the orchestra’s international tour. On the flight overseas, members say, he got completely wasted and started screaming at the airline attendant. He was also overheard mumbling those laments of violinists everywhere: “Fuck the orchestra” and “fuck all this shit.”
For drunken poetry, the judges gave him an 8.7.
Then, on the bus ride to the hotel, Preucil apparently started yelling at the driver that he “had to pee.” When the driver told him he couldn’t exactly pull over on the highway, Preucil opened the door himself, forcing the driver to slam on the brakes. Embarrassed, the head of the touring committee apologized to the driver. Apparently, Preucil didn’t take kindly to apologies on his behalf. “You’re an asshole,” he told the driver.
In most corners of Cleveland, the episode would be dismissed as Things You See on a Normal Tuesday Night. But orchestra members were aghast. “We always joke that unless you come onstage drunk and pee on the floor, you’re pretty much guaranteed job security,” says one member. “But this is the kind of thing that gets you fired.”
Tour manager Jonathan Martin fumbled for words to describe the escapade, before telling Punch to get in touch with PR — which, of course, never called us back.
Troy Smith does juvie
When Heisman winner and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Troy Smith stopped off for an inspirational speech at the county juvenile detention center last week, his odds of success weren’t good. Row upon row of teenagers in blue jumpsuits slumped in cold metal chairs in the center’s dismal gym, conducting silent warfare with their eyes. A guard noted that not all the kids could attend, since the center is overcrowded and authorities worry about gang problems.
But then something incredible happened. Smith attacked his audience with an unusual weapon: kindness.
“We miss you, man!” he began. “We need you guys to be future doctors. We need you guys to be future lawyers . . . We don’t need you to be here your whole lives.”
His voice rose and tears stained his cheeks as he defined Cleveland’s deepest need: “We are starving for men.”
The audience was hooked. Heads nodded, eyes were glued to the podium. “It’s incredible to me how many beautiful young men we have in this building right now,” Smith said. “I come here today as a humble servant to you guys.”
One by one, he listened as the teenagers stood up to introduce themselves and ask polite questions. There were no jokes, no snide remarks. When Smith asked for their help in defending his hometown, most hands rose in the air.
“My long-term goal is making Cleveland a better place,” he told them. “You can call me a hypocrite if it doesn’t happen, but I guarantee you it will.”
Superman’s Propaganda
If you see a mushroom cloud in the days leading up to November 6, don’t call 911. That’s just the fallout from two overeager politicians blowing each other to smithereens as they vie for the support of Seven Hills.
David Bentkowski — creatively known as “Get Bent-kowski” by those who hate him — is a 35-year-old mayor, up for re-election, who fetishizes Superman memorabilia and still lived with his parents until two years ago. Matt Trafis, his Lex Luthor, is a 27-year-old city council hopeful and the son of former mayor Gerry Trafis, though he presumably has his own apartment.
Throughout his reign, Bentkowski has published the Seven Hills News, which runs compelling stories comparing the mayor to Grady Sizemore and Brady Quinn, as well as photos of his bachelor’s pad, which includes a Superman room, which explains why he’s still single.
But with election day approaching, the paper’s taken a more aggressive tone, reading like a combination jihadist manifesto/12-year-old’s diary. The mayor unearths an old Halloween photo of young Matt Trafis posing in an Uncle Sam hat, while his father wears a fireman costume. “The big joke,” writes the mayor, “was to dress up like two people they hate: me and firemen.” Behold the fury of the mayor’s cunning pen!
Yet Trafis has been inoculated against levity as well. He refused to answer questions on the record, then called Punch back five minutes later with a prepared statement, calling Bentkowski’s manifesto “outrageous and offensive.”
Somebody needs to remind these guys that they’re vying for part-time jobs that pay less than Taco Bell.
Denny’s Garage Sale
Dennis Kucinich is known for preaching protection for the constitution. And what better way to protect that holy document than to sell copies at an enormous markup?
For the low, low price of just $25, you can now own a pocket copy of the U.S. Constitution, the same one Dennis made famous by carrying it around in his pocket. The offer is an attempt to capitalize on Kucinich’s recent appearance on The Colbert Report, in which host Stephen Colbert made fun of Kucinich for carrying around more crap than a Central Park bag lady.
But wait! If you act now, you can receive a copy signed by the congressman himself for just $50! Collectors believe it will someday be worth more than a Corey Feldman-autographed copy of Meatballs 4.
“What better gift,” reads Denny’s website, “than to remember the foundation of our great nation and now, more than ever, why we need to protect it!” (Staffers reportedly edited out the next line, which read: “Please, America, I’ve only got $3.68 in federal matching funds left, and Elizabeth wants me to campaign down the slopes of Aspen!”)
Lucky for Dennis, his supporters are too high on ginger root to realize that anyone can get a free pocket constitution from constitutionfacts.com. Campaign finance director Marcus Brandon says he’s sold 1,000 copies. “We were baffled,” says Brandon. “It keeps going up and up.”
Next on Kucinich’s auction block: a collector DVD featuring a reenactment of the time he saw a UFO at Shirley MacLaine’s house!
This article appears in Oct 31 – Nov 6, 2007.
It is ridiculous that Bill Preucil still has a job. It is embarrasing that Cleveland is being represented by this selfish, outrageous, drunk, sex addict man as the concertmaster of our orchestra. Enough is enough Cleveland. Fire his lame ass already. He sucks as a husband, he sucks as an appreciator of an incredible job and he sucks in general. I attend the orchestra concerts, but ONLY when he is NOT playing. Lets move on and get someone in that chair that appreciates the opportunity and doesnt try to screw the students, or the audience and orchestra members for that matter.
This Preucil is an absolutely fucking disgrace. Bravo to this newspaper for being the only one to have the testicular fortitude to uncover the real Bill. The Cleveland Orchestra is retarded for keeping this lame ass drunk on as their concertmaster. I call for Bill Preucil’s resignation.
Given how completely inaccurate the last article was, I would recommend treating this one with a certain amount of skepticism. It is nothing more than rumors flying out of the rumor mill and into print. I have no idea if this is true or not, but I recommend trusting this article no more than random rumors. Keep in mind that Cleveland Scene is a weekly entertainment magazine that survives on graphic personals and sex advertisements. Not exactly the New York Times when it comes to editorial oversight and morals… This blurb makes great entertainment and might sell papers, but I have no reason to believe that it is anything more than that: entertainment.
Violinist,
I like your post instead of that stuff about The New York Times. It’s one of the most biased, inaccurate newspapers in the U.S. The only thing one should read it for is Arts & Leisure.
I’m personally curious about a few things:
1) The February article repeatedly attributes defaming quotes to “one orchestra member” in such a way that it would be easy to assume that many people in the orchestra are displeased, but do we know anything about whether or not more than one person really spoke to Scene? It could be the same “one orchestra member” over and over again, which sounds more like sour grapes than sour notes.
2) Does anyone else wonder if there is a reason that there is no byline for this article? I’m curious to know who wrote it, and if it’s someone who usually covers the arts scene or someone looking for an opportunity to add some scandal wherever possible.
3) Has anyone managed to find any coverage at all of this in another medium? I haven’t, and would be interested in finding out if there is any more evidence to support these editorial comments.
4) Correct me if I’m wrong, but Lexi “didn’t make the cut” when she auditioned in front of her family, either (according to the article in February), even though she did get a few short-term opportunities to fill in. Things like that happen all the time in both professional and community orchestras. Sometimes the logistics of using a convenient referral make it preferable to a more comprehensive search. And honestly, it’s not like she’s a third-rate player or anything.
This article seems designed more to inflame than to inform. It’s hard to believe that Scene couldn’t find a single named source anywhere to lend validity to such a tale, considering how many people must have seen what (supposedly) happened. I mean, a tour bus slamming on its brakes on the highway so that a man could pee out the door seems like it would attract at least a LITTLE attention. . .
The article last year was completely accurate. Had it not been, this paper would be liable for millions and a target for a defamation lawsuit.
All it did (for you dumb Preucil students and fans) was state the facts. A) He votes for and shows favoritism towards awarding family members positions in the orchestra B) He made a sexual pass at a student, forcing CIM to pay tuition for this student’s transfer to another conservatory C) Preucil is on vacation quite a lot. You can maybe argue point C, but A&B are pretty black and white. Had those strong allegations not been true the Cleveland Orchestra, Bill Preucil, and the Cleveland Institute of Music could have all sued this newspaper for millions. Had it not been for this paper and the story last year uncovering the blatant nepotism, let’s be honest, the Cleveland Orchestra wouldn’t decide to put a screen between the contestant and the jury all of a sudden. You can insult this newspaper all you want, but facts remain facts. No need to shoot the messenger and divert the attention away from the black cloud which hovers over Cleveland as long as Bill Preucil is concertmaster. It will only get worse if something is not done, they need to fire his ass. I know if I was GM of the orchestra I’d not only fire his ass, I’d tell Welser Moist to hit the road too.
This orchestra (like a losing sports team) really needs a shake up. It needs to clean house.
The flagrant, “out for blood” tone with which this last tale was told certainly undermines its credibility but, as a previous poster notes, one must wonder why the Scene isn’t up to its ears in libel suits. If I were having my name dragged through the muck and all of the allegations were heinously untrue, I would file the next day in civil court. So either Preucil is an exceptionally forgiving human being or the paper’s coverage has something to it.
However, I wish the paper would not insist on descending into pee-yellow journalism. This piss-drunk tale detracts from the legitimate news value of the Feb. article!
The most telling thing about this article is that there was no byline. I too would be ashamed to put my name to this mean-spirited gossip. I’ve gone on tour with the Metropolitan Opera for 25 years and would hope that my having a few drinks on the plane to Europe would not be reported by some rag tabliod like “Cleveland Scene.” Relaxing on the trip over does not affect how you perform on the concert stage. I think it is extremely unfair and vicious to say, “Lexi did not make the cut.” You have no idea how hard it is to win one of these auditions. She might very well be the best person for the job but in every audition there is a lot of luck involved and believe me, [I’ve listened to auditions for 30 years] we don’t always hire the best person for the job, try as we may. Bill Preucil is one of the best concertmasters in the world and any orchestra would be delighted to have him. Cleveland doesn’t want him? Fine. Send him to New York. We are big fans of him here.
Craig Mumm, Associate Principal Viola, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
To the above poster “Trust Nobody” – it is very obvious the Cleveland Scene had documentation and evidence in the allegations they made (girl student of Preucil having to transfer to another conservatory and CIM covering it’s ass by paying for her tuition at the other school). As one of the above posters pointed out, Preucil, the Cleveland Orchestra, and CIM know they have no grounds for a lawsuit against the newspaper.
Craig, now come on, I respect your view point and all but you have to admit there’s a difference between getting stoned drunk to the point where Preucil made an ass out of himself and just having a couple of beers. As far as Preucil coming to NY, there’s not a chance in hell. He cannot even take the demands of being a concertmaster in a 2nd rate city, how can he possibly take the pressures of NYC? He wouldn’t be able to cut it in NY. There are many 1st year Juilliard students that can play a lot better than him. You should know that of all people. The concertmaster of the Met and NY Phil are in a different league.
I feel that I must disagree with the last person’s comments on every level. You called Cleveland and it’s orchestra “second rate.” I’ve always enjoyed visiting Cleveland and the Cleveland Orchestra has long been one of the world’s finest ensembles. Yes, it is true that we have outstanding concertmasters at the MET and the New York Philharmonic but so does Clevland in Bill Preucil. The Cleveland Orchestra would have a very hard time finding anyone of Bill’s ability if he left. Your comment about “any 1st year Juilliard Student” doesn’t even deserve a reply.
What goes on during the flight or bus ride from the airport while on tour is really nobody else’s buisness. “Cleveland Scene” should be reviewing the orchestra’s triumphant European concerts and not muckraking to find the most lurid dirt that some disgruntled busybody is handing it. Of all the wonderful things about Cleveland, “Cleveland Scene” magazine is not one of them.
Craig Mumm
Craig, clearly you did not read what I said. I wrote, “There are many 1st year Juilliard students that can play a lot better than him.” That is a true statement, if you can’t tell or hear that, I don’t know how to help you. I never said the Cleveland Orchestra was 2nd rate either. I said the city was compared to New York. If you are going to quote me, at least do it accurately!
There are hundreds if not thousands of violinists in the world that play better than Bill Preucil. There’s always someone who can run a little faster, that’s just a given, it’s a numbers game. What Bill is is a good chamber violinist, nothing really special. He gets by.
I wonder who gave this story to this trash magazine anyway. If it was a fellow orchestra member, they should be so ashamed of themselves. What a rotten colleague. I’m sure it was said anonymously. That would be in keeping with the whole cowardly nature of this story. I thank god that I have no such back-stabbing colleagues in my orchestra.
Regarding your assessment of the violin scene, you don’t have a clue.
Craig Mumm
You think you don’t have any backstabbing colleagues. Very naive. As for me, I have a very good “clue” of what I am talking about. My definition of a coward is someone who makes sexual passes at students. You can shoot the messenger all you want, I know for fact these allegations are on the money. Why are you defending a sinking ship? Are you guys friends?
to Bill! time to hang it up:
Craig Mumm is completely right. You say that many first year juilliard students can play better than Preucil. You have completely invalidated anything else you have said about music. I know the level of the 1st year Juilliard students, and I have seen Bill Preucil play on a number of occasions (though no, to preempt your question, I would not consider us friends). There is no comparison. Maybe you only value how fast someone can play a run or how loud they can play, but real musicians, including the people who are winning auditions for first-rate orchestras (like Cleveland), value something more than that. I have seen Preucil play concertmaster solos to Brahms 1 and Heldenleben (as well as a number of other performances) much better than almost anyone else alive. Yes, maybe someone else can play parts of it faster, but who cares? I am talking about music, not your numbers game.
I have also seen the Cleveland orchestra play both with him and without him. The simple fact is that they sound much much better when he is there. Partly to do with the fact that he is an incredibly well-rounded musician and has an immense knowledge of the orchestral repetoire (also important for his job, by the way: it is not just important to be able to play fast). And yes, he is one of the best concertmasters in the country, and Cleveland is lucky to have him. If you actually believe half of the crap you were saying, I am sorry but you don’t have clue.
literally
adverb
in a literal manner or sense; exactly : the driver took it literally when asked to go straight across the traffic circle eg. tiramisu, literally translated “pick me up.”
Anyone who would defend this type of assery, would only do it in anonymity.
Seriously, if you dont see this stuff going on, you either arent looking or you dont want to see.
Not only is the Concertmaster’s atrocious actions par for the course, but he joins a long line of power hungry scumbags in classical music.
The CO is full of these types, in most of the different sections, sadly.
I think what a few people on here are trying to do (God knows who they are) is to divert the attention away from William Preucil’s apparent actions with students and with the orchestra.
This is some really letigious stuff if it is not accurate; starting last year with the allegations of Preucil’s apparent treatment to a female student resulting in her tranfer to another school, blatant nepotism in the audition process. If you read last year’s article carefully, Cleveland Scene did in fact leave a voice message on Preucil’s answering machine questioning him about his involvement with the female student. He replied without denying his wrong doing almost in a very egotistical way.
As far as playing goes, he is a good violinist (but I agree with the poster a few posts above) that said he’s nothing special. He really isn’t. The Juilliard comparison was not exactly irrelevant. At one time Itzhak Perlman, Glenn Dicterow, Cho-Liang Lin, and Pinchas Zukerman among others were first year students at the jailyard. Anyone of those gentlemen at the age of 13 could play with their hands tied behind their backs better than Preucil.
I heard from a pretty reliable person that Preucil was forced to sell his Stradivarius violin to settle this lawsuit he had with the student. Anyone else hear this?
Yes that is true.
lulz
he did not sell his violin.
“William Preucil blows up in Europe — literally.”
I thought I was going to read about how someone lit Preucil’s fuse and he exploded, leaving little bits of Preucil all over Europe. Because he blew up LITERALLY — or so the headline states.
Always pack your own violin case, and do not leave it unattended.
“William Preucil blows up in Europe — literally.”
I thought I was going to read about how someone lit Preucil’s fuse and he exploded, leaving little bits of Preucil all over Europe. Because he blew up LITERALLY — or so the headline states.
Always pack your own violin case, and do not leave it unattended.
“William Preucil blows up in Europe — literally.”
I thought I was going to read about how someone lit Preucil’s fuse and he exploded, leaving little bits of Preucil all over Europe. Because he blew up LITERALLY — or so the headline states.
Always pack your own violin case, and do not leave it unattended.
I’m really not surprised at this new story knowing the Cleveland musical scene quite well being a major professional violinist. Bill is notorious for this behavior. There are many violinists who play better than he does but who do not have the family ins like he has had which have only benefited him. The Preucil sympathizers are just not very intelligent or compassionate people towards those he has victimized. I hope enough people can open their eyes up wide enough and knock this guy out of any type of power in the field of music. At least with a bad politician, there is an election every four years. If they do not do well, they get fired by the overriding votes of the citizens. Bill, however, has the comfort of tenure which has kept him where he is much too long, and surrounded himself by mediocre (at best!) family members and students of his in the violin section.
I hadn’t heard a thing about this development in the history of that power abusing family until very recently as I have intentionally left “the biz” behind me and moved on. But I would like to throw my 2.5 cents worth in and just say that I could, without yet again being made out to be the criminal and not the victim of the preucil family machinations since they obvoiusly have honed the art of deception and silencing down to a science, easily advocate for that silenced courageous young woman who doubtless suffers to this day at their hands. I could so easily, if I had the proof and the evidence to support my accusations, which of course I don’t as I was a mere depressed, frightened, lonely, vulnerable young woman when I was pressured into going there half my lifetime ago by my late father and his colleague, a certain former chamber music coach who as of yet shall go unnamed for his protection. Yes, if possible, I could easily substantiate all of her accusations against preucil jr. in a Court of Law because nearly the exact same thing happened to me, almost, but not quite to the letter, but with Jr’s father, the “kingpin” No doubt the Preucils know that I know that if these two posts have gotten back to themand I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if they were not attempting to yet again find a way to silence me again. But I must say this, every tiny accusation of me, ever twisted out of proportion lawyer trick in the book to discredit my side that forever exists in the Court documents and forever condemns me to a life of that of an criminal with a record, can not in any way stack up to their (obviously) socially and culturally sanctioned heinous crimes against women. And that’s the Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing But The Truth, so help me God.