With the announcement of Yannick Nézet-Séguin (YNS) as the 8th music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra, management was finally able to lock in the final (and most crucial) piece of the orchestra’s roster.  Just like a good baseball squad, the orchestra needs not only the best position players, but the right manager to acheive success — players with musical talent are incredibly important, but it is the music director’s role to make sure they gel into a unified sound and work as a cohesive team. The orchestra has made some great moves in the past couple years  – Ricardo Morales’ clarinet tightened the woodwind section, and with the addition of Carol Jantsch, tuba, and Jennifer Montone, principal horn, the brasses are hot as ever.

If a baseball team did not have the consistency of a day-in-day-out manager, no matter how good the players are, without leadership, it is doubtful they will be bringing home rings at the end of the season.  Skipperless, the Orchestra can muster the occasional good concert, but they need a consistent presence to redefine their sound in the Kimmel Center era — and make it marketable once again.

It is shocking that the Orchestra has been without a Music Director for four years now. Dutoit has been an amazing fill-in, but without the official title, he has been at a loss to shape the Orchestra into anything worthwhile. The parade of guest conductors have also not been able to do the job.

So, is YNS the solution?  Judging by the column in today’s Inquirer, no one seems ready to break out the bubbly, but agree it is definitely a step in the right direction.  It seems that for all his youthful (35 years old) exuberance and comparisons to wunderkind Dudamel, YNS is untested — it remains to be seen if he choses the challenge of rebuilding Philadelphia over a jet-setting celebrity conductor life.  On the flip side, he also has the potential to be the next Bernstein and use his energy to bring a new generation to appreciate the power of orchestral music.

I am struck by how similarly I feel by this appointment as I did when Charlie Manual was named manager of the Phillies.  Bowa just had to leave — he was negatively affecting the team.  Eschenbach also seemed to have polarized the Orchestra players and despite his experimentations, never found a uniform sound.  With Manual, we got the polar opposite managerial style from the icy Bowa.  And I confess, I was extremely doubtful that his folk charm was what our team needed.Charlie is now a town hero.

It is Nézet-Séguin’s turn to step up and put our Orchestra back on the map. We have the incredibly talented players filling the chairs on stage in Verizon Hall.  We have a city and suburbs full of talented student musicians ready to be thrilled.  We also have the reputation of one of the greatest orchestras in the world to live up to.

So, Yannick –  here’s my challenge to you:  Forget the competition against iPhones and TiVos and trying to capture a generation with an every shortening attention span.  Win back your base.  Forget connecting with those who think Classical music is tediously long and boring. Get those of us who love hearing good music back in the seats in engaged. Once you have us back, and the orchestra is a hot ticket again – who knows what you can do.

This will not be an easy task.  You have been put in a rough spot – with a recession and the lack of leadership the Orchestra has been having issues filling its mere 2,000 seats.  But if the Phillies can teach you anything, Philly fans are loyal and if they see you giving your all (maybe draw some blood), they will flock in support. Also, Verizon Hall’s seating capacity is a much easier number to fill than The Bank’s 45,000.  Now, if only there were an orchestra World Series we could win…