Pamina Payne in Salzburg, Northland

How did I get stuck in this place? As a child, growing up on the Sound, in Eden, Eastchester, I remember wishfully thinking of the sparkling summer days and cool nights of the Midwest, Wisconsin, but never, ever did I wish for the cold that consumes this freezing, mountainless area in Salzburg. I was abandoned here, by Derek Eastman, who left us for the warmer climes of the West Coast. I was tied down here, like Gulliver at Lilliput, by my children who refused to leave or let me move away. I am being held hostage here, sometimes it seems as though others, such as the dreadful Monostatos, can suck out my energy while I am unable to escape.

Why did the Salzburg State change its name?

Though the Salzburg State Orchestra was certainly not one of the nation's oldest, and definitely not one of the more prestigious, it held a certain distinction. It was determined, by hook or by crook, by desguise or bullying, to reinvent itself continually until the pig's ear, so to speak, had at last, finally, whew, been reworked into a semblance of a silk purse. Well, bullying the audience sufficiently, with propaganda and press, and of course, the patrons, might be enough to persuade the simple folk, who readily admitted they had no sense of music at all, to believe that the Salzburg State Orchestra was something to contend with.

But as much as they appreciated the fact that the orchestra had been called a 'state' orchestra, and thus designated to serve not merely the Salzburg Northland area itself, but in fact the better part of the Northland region, was not sufficient for them. It was not big enough, not grandiose enough for them. In order to make an impact in a larger milieu, they needed something truly outstanding.

No more the simple salt-of-the-earth, homely name for them. They would re-christen themselves the Monostatos Orchestra -- the one state orchestra, the only state orchestra. This name alone would provide them with the level of attention that their pride demanded. Now, new name in hand, they would be ready to take on the world!