Starting in early 1994, I worked for my first-ever newspaper, The Northern Student, the student newspaper at Bemidji State University, where I attended and received my bachelor's degree in mass communication. Over three years, I would be a staff writer, news editor, managing editor and editor. I wrote everything from news stories to feature stories to sports stories to opinion pieces. It was the greatest training ground a journalist could ever have, and I am grateful to the many talented people I worked alongside in my years at The NS.
Nov. 8, 1995
By Devlyn Brooks
In 1995, the largest non-profit group in Minnesota made a historic change. The Minnesota Orchestra introduced their new conductor to Minnesotans with more fanfare than a presidential inauguration.
38-year-old Diji Oue is alomst a household name now due to the public relations campaign conducted by the orchestra. A photo of Oue, clad in a Vikings' outfit and a Viking helmet conducting the orchestra at the Metrodome, appeared in the Star Tribune; he could be seen on the cover of a Wheaties box, which is usually reserved only for sports stars; and even played outdoor concerts at the Minnesota State Fair, Raspberry Island and the Minneapolis Bandshell.
Karl Reichert, director of public relations for the Minnesota Orchestra, is the man responsible for the hype that created Oue's image. No one knows his name, or what he does, but it was Reichert's almost insurmountable task to make the relatively unknown conductor a household name. He was responsible for the outdoor concerts, the stint at the Metrodome and even the Wheaties box. His critics will say what he did was hokey, but Reichert will defend his public relations campaign by saying that there is no reason that classical music can't be fun.
"It deserved the hype," Reichert said. "It's not often that an orchestra gets a chance at grabbing that much attention. Oue is only the ninth musical director the Minnesota Orchestra has had in 83 years. I would say this was big."
Just who is this man who orchestrated the biggest media blitz ever conducted by the Minnesota Orchestra? 31-year-old Reichert is a man who has made a life out of breaking stereotypes.
He grew up on a small farm near Clearbrook, in northern Minnesota. He was miles from the nearest concert hall or art museum, where he could have cultivated an appreciation for the fine arts. However, he didn't fit the stereotype of your average farm kid. He loved writing, loved drawing cartoons and painting, and even as a young child he said he had an appreciation of music.
"I was a dairy kid," Reichert said, "but I was a creative kid who liked to express himself."
He was active in school: the student newspaper, the school band and the school choir. In his senior year, he was named to the All-State Choir, and was recognized as one of the best choir students in Minnesota. So, Reichert's dilemma after graduation was to find a college that would allow him to continue growing in both aspects of life he enjoyed: the media and the arts. Reichert said that he wanted to attend an institution that had good programs in both. Enter Bemidji State University.
"Bemidji just worked out well for me," he said. "They had an excellent music program and a great mass communication program. Where else was I going to get both. I had thought about St. Olaf, but I knew my parents didn't have a lot of money."
So, Reichert to this day defends his decision to attend BSU.
"Just last weekend, I was attending an opening for 'Carmen' in New York City. I went with a friend to the Metropolitan Opera Club, which is one of the most elite clubs in New York," Reichert said. "So, I had to wear a tux and the whole nine yards. I really felt out of my element. ... I mean, here I was standing around all these people whose kids attend Harvard, and I went to Bemidji State. But, I didn't let it intimidate me; I told them where I went to school. You have to be confident in yourself."
He double majored at BSU in mass communication and music history, a combination that, ironically, landed him the job as public relations director for an institution that has an annual budget of $22 million. However, this wouldn't be the first time that fate was gracious to Reichert.
After graduating from college, Reichert received a job offer from a daily newspaper in International Falls, located on Minnesota's northern border. However, his heart was elsewhere. Reichert wanted to be able to move farther south. He wanted to live near the metropolitan area where he could nourish his hunger for the fine arts. So, he interviewed at the Monticello Times, a small, weekly newspaper, but well respected even nationally. Reichert wanted the job, but the publisher couldn't give him an answer immediately.
So, Reichert was in the midst of a dilemma. Should he accept the job offer he had already received, or hold out for the job he really wanted. Reichert said that when he was driving home from the Monticello interview, he knew he was going to reject the offer from the International Falls paper, regardless if he would be hired by the Times.
"I was driving home, thinking, 'How am I going to tell my dad that I'm not taking the job that's already been offered to me,'" Reichert said. "I didn't even have an answer from Monticello, and I was already rejecting (International Falls). Luckily, when I got home there was a message to call Don Smith (publisher of the Monticello paper) 'ASAP.' I had gotten the job. Thank God. Dad doesn't always listen so well."
Reichert stayed at the Times for three and a half years as news editor before moving on to a position in the public relations department at the Minnesota Orchestra, a department of which he is now director.
Although Reichert admitted that he will probably always be known for his efforts in Oue's inaugural season more than anything else, he said that there have been other things that have challenged him just as much. In 1993, the musicians employed by the Minnesota Orchestra went on strike; it was Reichert's job to handle the press coverage. He said that it was just as demanding guiding the orchestra through that time as it has been to introduce Oue.
Reichert said that he would like to move on some day, but as for what it could be, it could be anything.
"I would like to write novels one day, draw cartoons, paint, ... maybe be the leader of some institution, such as an art museum or college," Reichert said. "Once you have management skills, you can pretty much do anything you want. Leadership skills are transferable things."
He admits to having gotten a few breaks in his career, but he said that he also worked hard and persevered through the tough times. "You have to take some lumps," he said.
He also said that a key to his success has been his pragmatism. "You have to have goals," he said. "You have to. I have many. But they've got to be obtainable goals. I've seen a lot of college graduates swim around lost because they want to have the job I have, but they haven't paid their dues. You have to pay your dues."
And even Reichert is prone to some boasting. "If I can sell classical music," Reichert said, "I can sell anything."
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