Susan Anderson

Susan Anderson-Stewart, Director of Operations

Susan Anderson, Director of Operations

"Many concert promoters are struggling to fill houses in Japan," says Susan Anderson Stewart, the BSO's director of operations and tour manager.

Susan Anderson-Stewart has been with the BSO for 16 years and, before that, she worked with the Cleveland Orchestra and The New York Philharmonic.As Director of Operations for the BSO and Tour Manager, she is responsible for getting the Orchestra members and the thousands of pounds of delicate equipment in the right places at the right times - across the Atlantic Ocean and multiple international borders - and back home again.We caught up with her to get some behind the scenes information about the tour.

How many musicians are going on tour?

Tour Manager Susan Stewart is pictured middle.

Susan Anderson, Acting Director of Artistic Orchestra Operations

"Many concert promoters are struggling to fill houses in Japan," says Susan Anderson Stewart, the BSO's director of operations and tour manager."Subscription sales are way off.The Japanese economy has been bad for so long."

The BSO's own economy hasn't been too robust, either.The orchestra will post a deficit from the 2001-2002 season, its first in several years.

Dealing with such logistical matters is just part of the challenge for BSO director of operations Susan Anderson Stewart.Although a veteran of three international and many domestic tours with the orchestra, Stewart doesn't hesitate to single this one out.

"It's the worst ever," she said, "partly because of Sept. 11 stuff.That changed the rules of everything.Now musicians have to worry about whether they'll be allowed to bring their instruments on board the plane.

"And we're having trouble getting approval for the caterers we want to use on the charter flight to Scotland because the airline hasn't worked with them before."

Just finding a plane was tricky.
...
Many charter aircraft were engaged by the U.S. military for transporting troops after Sept. 11, Stewart said.Eventually, a carrier was found that had a 767 available - large enough to handle two tractor-trailer loads of orchestral cargo, as well as the musicians and staff (about 125 total).