Month: March 2005

Something Special In St. Louis Part 1

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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 musicians gathered for a single, two hour rehearsal and then performed to an overflow audience at …

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Looking Through Another Business’ Eyes

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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 different levels.  I’ll begin publishing some articles about those effects tomorrow.

Meet Me In St. Louis

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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 orchestra musicians from 14 other orchestras for a one time only performance.  You can learn more …

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Getting Up To Speed In Utah

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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 of the attention is the result of consultant’s report which examines the internal organization and the …

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Applying Some Perspective In St. Louis

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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 negotiations.

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