Drew McManus on the orchestra business.
When asked why he robbed banks, bank robber Willie Sutton answered, “Because that’s where the money was.” Sounds like a simple plan and simple plans usually work best (unless you’re like Willie and simply want to break the law). When the orchestra business examines their audience and realizes they need to start attracting a younger demographic they inevitably come to an obvious question, “Where do we find younger ticket buyers?” The …
There was an interesting article in the April 24th edition of the San Diego Union-Tribune by Valerie Scher which examined whether or not is was beneficial to have a number of outside orchestras visit a city which hosts a full time orchestra. The piece does a good job at examining both sides of the equation and has input from a number of different concerned sources. It presents an opinion on the …
Joining the discussions surrounding the Take a Friend to Orchestra program in May is none other than William Eddins, the newly appointed music director for the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. Bill is a rising start in the world of conducting, and he has a sincerely unique outlook on the future of classical music. There have been numerous articles in the media throughout the U.S. and Canada about Bill in recent months; …
Times are tough all over for orchestras, and not just in America. A recent article in Deutsche Welle reports the Berlin Symphonic Orchestra closed up shop after they failed to secure some last minute funding from government sources. The article goes on to report that the orchestra managers attempted to raise funds privately but were unsuccessful in their attempts. The most striking part of the article is the final sentence, “The …
There’s a big fuss brewing in Oregon over an the issue of artistic review. If you’re not familiar with that concept and how it relates to orchestras, it’s the process whereby a tenured musician can lose their job due to artistic reasons (their playing isn’t as good as it should be). In short, it’s how orchestras rid themselves of players who have, for whatever reason, lost it. I know most people …