The German, who has known the BFZ ’s founder and music director, conductor Ivan Fischer, for several years, took up the position of executive director in January. “I met Ivan in a hotel in Rio de Janeiro, where the BFZ was on tour, in May,” Englert recalls. “He approached me with the question of whether I would consider coming to work with him. This is one of the finest orchestras in the world; it was not so long before I said yes. The final decision was made in June. We talked about the development of the orchestra and it quickly became clear that we were going to be working together.”

He moved to Hungary with his wife and toddler son in mid-December, to get everyone settled in and to ensure a smooth handover with his predecessor, Tamas Korner, who was retiring from the role. In some ways, he is an obvious choice. He came to the BFZ from one of the leading German orchestras, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, where he had been Orchestra Manager since 2009. Prior to that, he had been head of the Orchestral Academy of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival.

But in other ways, Englert is a little different. Although married to a professional musician, he has never been one. “I played the piano, but I was neither diligent nor good enough, and decided early on I wouldn’t make a career of it.” Indeed, he didn’t even study music at university in Hamburg, but philosophy. Partly as a result, he says he thinks differently to some administrators.

“I think in a very structured way. When I am faced with a problem, I want to know what are the steps we need to reach our goal. Structure is very important to identifying the target. Many people from the arts would think about the music first. Of course the music is at the very core of what we do, but from an administrative point of view, we have to create the financial stability that enables the festival orchestra to give outstanding concerts.”

And structure, a consistent theme in one form or another of the interview, is key to understanding how the German and the Hungarian work together. “All the artistic questions are dealt with by Ivan. He finds the musicians; he decides what the program will be. Of course he discusses this with me, but it is his responsibility.

Mine is to create the basis for the orchestra to fulfill its expectations.” No one can doubt the artistic merit of the BFZ . Last year it played in London in the world famous BBC Proms season, as well as in New York. “Right now it is absolutely at the top, though the gap between our budget and those of the peer group of top orchestras is a big one.”

Closing that budget gap, or at least securing the finances of the BFZ , is the key. Englert has six areas of particular focus. “We need to increase income from ticket sales. We can’t put them up by much in Hungary, there isn’t the money to support that, and it is very important people can afford to pay to be part of the magic of this orchestra, so we need to broaden the net, to attract more people. “Next, we need to increase the corporate sponsorship group, find those companies that have the money and the profile to sponsor us.

We think the multinationals will be able to help us a lot in this regard. “Third, we need to create a structure of support groups internationally. We already have groups in New York and Great Britain, and they have just been established in Austria and Germany. These circles of friends organize fundraising events around local concerts when the BFZ is on tour. “We continue to count on state subsidies. The orchestra is one of the best promoters of Hungary, one of its most important cultural ambassadors, and I hope and think the decision makers know that and will continue to support us.

“We have a Supporters Group in Hungary who pay a little more and for that get extra benefits, like being able to get their tickets earlier. We think this will be of particular interest to the expat community, whose members tend to be highly educated and with an interest in culture. “Finally, the orchestra is a foundation, and therefore eligible for 1% of individuals’ tax, at no cost to them, and we would like to encourage more people to nominate us to receive it.”

Source: AmCham's Voice Magazin