Between 2016 and 2018, José Mourinho was the manager of Manchester United football club. During his time there, he received widely publicised criticism, not for what was happening on the pitch, but for his living arrangements off it.
Usually, when a manager joins a club, they move to the new area, buying or renting a house. But for his entire tenure at the club, he stayed at The Lowry Hotel. This received criticism as the story it told was that Mourinho wasn’t committed to the team, the fans, or the community… even though he lived at the hotel permanently. As the figurehead of the club, it was important for him to be seen to be committed and also be a part of the community.
Music directors, chief conductors, or whatever title we use for them are similar to managers (from now on, I’m just going to say music director). They are the figureheads of the organisation. They are front and centre for marketing, the focus of interviews, lead the orchestras, and are the name next to the orchestra on albums. For audiences, conductors are the main human touchpoint of the orchestra, and for donors, they are the person they want to meet.
And yet, it is actually rare for music directors to live in the city that their orchestra calls home, and in many cases, the conductor doesn’t even live in the same country. This has always baffled me. Even though chief conductor roles aren’t full-time, surely you would commit to your main job as the place you call home, and also be there to be a part of the community that your orchestra serves? Especially as the positions are usually accompanied by a salary that allows for it.