Maintaining the Institutional Core: A Case Study of Institutional Disruption and Repair at the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (1842-2012)

Abstract

Drawing from an institutional work perspective, I focus on how institutions are maintained amidst disruption, by analyzing what aspects are held constant, and what aspects are allowed to change over time. I offer the institutional core as the main focus of maintenance work set alongside peripheral aspects that may be changed over time. Using a historical case study and archival analysis of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, I find a continuum of change from relative constancy to significant change in three endogenous actors, i.e., the repertoire, soloists, and conductors, respectively. Three selected cases further our understanding of the nature of maintenance, including what is held constant and what is allowed to change, as well as how key endogenous and exogenous actors employ several key repairing and recreating mechanisms during and following periods of disruption.