Drew McManus on the Orchestra business | est. 2003

Something Special In St. Louis Part 1

Tue, Mar 3, 2005
On Sunday, March 13, 2005 the musicians of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra along with colleagues from 14 orchestras* joined together to present a free concert to the greater St. Louis community.  In all, there were 109 musicians led by Maestro Benjamin Zander in a performance of works by Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, and Elgar**. The

Looking Through Another Business’ Eyes

Mon, Mar 3, 2005
The Partial Observer published an article of mine today which examines the media industry and how it’s been adapting to fundamental changes in its business.  There are some intriguing parallels between that business and orchestras: http://www.partialobserver.com/ArticleDisplay.cfm?ArticleID=1424 I had a fantastic time in St. Louis, the free concert was a HUGE success on a variety of

Meet Me In St. Louis

Fri, Mar 3, 2005
Thanks to the generosity of some bighearted fans of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, I’ve been offered an opportunity to attend the mass orchestra concert which the musicians of the SLSO organized as a way to say thank you to their supporters. The musicians of the SLSO will be joined by a host of professional

Getting Up To Speed In Utah

Thu, Mar 3, 2005
Over the past week, there’s been a flurry of media attention in the Salt Lake are about the Utah Symphony & Opera (US&O) organization.  Salt Lake Tribune music critic, Celia Baker, has written a few articles about the issues.  They’re both excellent examples of reporting the facts; you can read them here, and here. Much

Applying Some Perspective In St. Louis

Tue, Mar 3, 2005
In a recent article published in the 03/05/05 edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the article’s author, Sarah Bryan Miller, challenges one of the basic concepts which have successfully driven the increased artistic and financial accomplishment of orchestras since the early 1960’s.  The concept of having musicians set financial goals for the organization via contract