Donagh Collins: 'In a moment of crisis the music sector can be flexible'

I catch Donagh Collins after his early morning run and before the commute into the Askonas Holt office. The CEO of Askonas Holt and also of Opus 3 artist management in New York is a busy man these days. We speak the day before he dashes up to Leeds for the Association of British Orchestras (ABO) annual conference, during which he picked up the ABO/Classical Music magazine Artist Manager of the Year Award. The chief element in his nomination was the management exercise carried out, at minimal notice, on last year’s international tour by the Ukraine Freedom Orchestra (UFO), encompassing major European, UK and US dates. From nowhere was formed an orchestra of ex-pat Ukrainian musicians working outside their homeland, plus many still living (and fighting) in Ukraine itself.

‘Delighted, of course,’ is Collins’s reaction to being selected for the award. ‘A real honour for me, yes, but for everyone at Askonas Holt. The whole experience has made me reflect on my path in life to where I am today. I played in the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland in my teens, which gave me a sense of what an orchestra is, beyond a group of individuals who make music — its social significance, its role in society, the way it can bring together people of very different backgrounds.’

L-R: Alan Davey CBE, Adam McGinlay, Celia Willis, Dougie Scarfe, Sandra Parr, Donagh Collins. ©Samantha Toolsie

Collins studied piano and cello at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, going on to a degree in mechanical engineering at University College Dublin. Music won out. Collins’s career in artist management came about as a result of hearing there was an admin job going in the tours and projects department ‘at this outfit called “Askonas Holt”. I decided to have a go even though I had little in my CV of practical relevance beyond my musical background. Orchestras were at the heart of that job and working in this area helped me grow through the company to where I am today.’

Not for Collins the idea of only tackling tours for name international orchestras. He remembers with satisfaction the punt taken with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela. ‘You’d have promoters saying, “You mean…a youth orchestra??” when you offered the suggestion. But we made it work. That sort of thing was background in a way to the work with the Freedom Orcheastra, where we again said, “Why not?”.’

Talking of which, Collins understandably has a vivid memory of the call inviting Askonas Holt to handle the UFO tour. This was from Peter Gelb, general manager of the Metropolitan Opera in New York and married to Canadian conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson, whose remarkable vision it was to create the orchestra in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine. ‘It was, of course, an instantaneous “yes” to this wonderful, wonderful idea. A tour that could really make a difference in this appalling situation.’

Beyond his gratitude for Gelb’s crucial involvement in opening doors, persuading promoters to participate, and helping locate funds, Collins has a line-up of people to thank that understandably matches any Oscar acceptance speech for length. ‘Keri-Lynn did an absolutely amazing job, leading with such consummate professionalism while also bringing a sense of authentic emotion to the job. The orchestral players and our two Ukrainian soloists [pianist Anna Fedorova and soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska] were left, I think, in a different place to where they’d been before the tour.

‘I think of the part played by the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, who took on the role of patron. It was quite clear that the orchestra was seen as a symbol of Ukrainian independence and nationhood. It’s so moving to think back to the playing of the Ukrainian national anthem at these concerts and the featuring of a symphony by the Ukrainian composer, Valentin Silvestrov.’

As far as gratitude to promoters is concerned, Collins’s first stop after Peter Gelb is with the crucial part played by Polish National Opera, not least for the way it brought in politicians — who played, for example, a crucial role in negotiating for the release of Ukrainian musicians from their service in the army. Equally, Collins pays tribute to the wide range of concert-promoting organisations which came on board on both sides of the Atlantic. In the UK, the BBC Proms shoe-horned in a concert number 19A. The Edinburgh Festival slotted in a matinée performance at the last moment. It all showed, Collins observes, ‘that in a moment of crisis the music sector can be flexible and fleet-footed. Some of the challenges were really demanding. In the UK, for example, Askonas Holt had the task of swiftly securing visas for each and every musician while advocating for the government to waive the fees involved.

‘Really, this award is not for me,’ Collins reiterates. ‘It’s for the whole company at Askonas Holt…talented people who contributed in all kinds of ways to the tour. Particular thanks and admiration go to Sergio [Porto Bargiela] and his team in our tours and projects department. And yes, we’re already working on a second tour for later this year. Again, Ukrainian music and Ukrainian soloists will be to the fore. We look forward to working ever more closely with the Ukrainian government.

‘We want to bring in new promoters, of course. Eventually there’ll be the question of commercial recordings…an exciting thought. The last thing we wanted was for last year’s tour to be a one-off. We’re already imagining a future for the orchestra beyond the war.’