Who you calling A Pariah?

The classical music world, in Britain at least, is getting its knickers in a twist about the appointment of Alexander Prior as assistant to the guest conductors (does that sound slightly contrived to you?) at the Seattle Symphony, an orchestra which, conspiracy fans, is both going through a period of industrial dispute and on the hunt for a new music director to take over from current boss Gerard Schwarz when he steps down as music director in 2011 and which therefore might just possibly welcome some positive publicity.

We'll leave others to decide just how graceless were his reported remarks on his job offer and only offer the advice that people are more likely to want to work with you if a) you do not make them feel that they are exploitable footsoldiers in your quest for world domination and b) that you have a musical vision which does not totally conflict with the aims of the orchestras you are hoping will hire you.

Instead, we'll chuckle ruefully about the fact that the loser - let's call him the loser - of last year's Leeds International Conductors Competition is getting the press, when the actual winner, Geoffrey Paterson isn't, at least for the time being. Since his success (he was awarded the audience prize as well as the main jury prize), Paterson has been working on projects at the Royal Opera (he is, as a repetiteur, a graduate of its opera studio) and Opera North - so much for that good old British institutional ageism Prior blubs about. And we also hear rumours of a new chamber group to be launched in April, a crack band of young professionals under his direction that will focus on classics of modern music - the first programme will feature music by Ligeti and Boulez. The contrast with Prior's avowed musical conservatism really needs no comment.