Vancouver seems to no-hire at a rate higher than almost any orchestra. Additionally, there's been a number of appointments and tenure decisions that seem out-of-the-norm.
For example, the new principal oboe was granted tenure within 2 months of his first season. When the audition was held, he was not the winner, as the winner accepted another job. The audition was never reheld. Was he a runner up, or simply an appointment, as VSO tends to do?
The English horn position has been vacant for years now. An acting/appointed/non-auditioned player has been there for multiple seasons. As of this year, a new English horn has been appointed, again without audition (and frankly, without any connection whatsoever to Canada, Vancouver, or the Orchestra).
Are these hiring practices approved and supported by their local? Are the musicians in this orchestra happy with these hiring practices, or is it a decision of the admin/MD/CM?
In the case of principal oboe, Joo Bin Yi was the runner-up and was offered the position after the winner decided to accept another offer.
In terms of English Horn, my understanding is that the applicable people wanted a principal oboe in place before starting an English Horn process, wanting a new principal to have a say in choosing one of their closest colleagues. This became especially complicated since the longtime EH passed away in the months between the PO audition taking place and Joo Bin starting in the role.
According to the VSO’s CBA, the MD does have the power to appoint people on an interim basis and not in a permanent capacity. This has led to conflicts in the past. In particular, the orchestra’s European MD and CM have invited several European players to perform as guest principals, frequently without consulting other musicians. While they (the MD and CM) might consider those musicians to be desirable, only one of them has ever received the requisite votes in an audition to be offered a permanent position. While all rounds are screened, the possibility of auto-advancement for internal and external candidates does mean that not all candidates receive a fair hearing. As with other orchestras, instances where the only candidates in semi-finals are those who were auto-advanced have occurred. With that said, I have no idea as to how the current interim EH was selected.
In terms of no hires, the VSO does have one of the highest vacancy rates of any orchestra in Canada. The orchestra has been unlucky several times with candidates who were either offered trials or the position outright accepting different offers. The orchestra is, of course, battling against a high cost of living, a weak Canadian dollar, and a relatively low base salary. That being said, there have been numerous no-hire auditions. I believe that it would be accurate to say that a combination of relatively low levels of interest from outside candidates, hand-selected candidates not meeting requirements, and exorbitant expectations have all contributed to this discouraging trend.