Leonhard Bartussek Leonhard Bartussek
Founder and regular member (implemented is an organic hierarchy which changes from project to project) at The New York Baroque LabMe in Three
- I am an Austrian musician currently studying baroque cello at The Juilliard School in NYC. I played with many music groups and orchestras in Europe, Argentina and the US. At a very young age most musicians had an awakening experience of powerful community - playing music together, transcending their ego and experiencing something spiritual and bigger than themselves. I believe that this is the initial driving force that keeps us going to develop our skills, hoping to be part of something meaningful, reestablishing the spirit of love. Unfortunately the vast majority of music groups and orchestras fail with their attempt to establish a culture that would allow every single member to fully identify with a group and fully give oneself to the music. What we need is Management Innovation! A sense for the complex interactions of human beings, giving everyone the chance to be heard and rewarded appropriately to his/her contributions! I experienced groups/organizations with structures ranging from a strict fascist hierarchical approach, to more democratic procedures, to pseudo- communistic principles. Even though some of these groups became famous to my opinion they all failed to different degrees in maintaing a full and authentic participation of its musicians. In NYC I try to develop an orchestra and a collaborative platform of musicians based on the principles of Management Innovation. If I am going to succeed this could become interesting also for the "regular" business world: An orchestra is like a small model of a company where every single member on stage becomes visible and audible at the same time - you fully experience the quality and spirit of an organization; Management Innovation becomes emotionally tangible!
- I live in Brooklyn (which I love!) and I commute by bike to Lincoln Center on the Upper West Side of Manhattan every day of the year. Thanks to Gore-tex I am independent from the weather conditions. I grew up snowboarding in the Alps in Austria and love the mountains. Meanwhile I also conquered the element water - I started with apnea free diving; it is amazing - you turn into a fish!
- My great granduncle was Eduard Hanslick, the first University professor for musicology in Vienna and influential music critic of the 19th century. I grew up in a critical and intellectual environment questioning culture and tradition in many different ways. My ancestors were pioneers in different fields: My father in organic farming research; my grandfather in alternative medicine; my great grandfather was the first Austrian skier, practically inventing skiing as a sport. He was also an expedition leader climbing high mountains around the world and crossing the Sahara dessert with a high-wheel bicycle - pretty crazy MIX! My hero: Egon Friedell - check out his book "A Cultural History of the modern Age" - best book ever! My favorite quote: "We don´t see the things as they are, we see them as we are." - Anaïs Nin