The Business Of Youth Orchestras

Given how much youth orchestras have expanded in recent years you would think that the demand for classical music is going up.  Unfortunately, that’s not precisely the case in most cities; nevertheless, youth orchestras are becoming a big business.  The biggest budget youth orchestras have budgets larger than a quarter of all ROPA ensembles and they attract managers from big budget orchestras.  And why not?  Those top ensembles pay more than …

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Open Discussion Or Propaganda Laden Drivel

Just a quick pointer to another good piece from Arts journal blog neighbor Andrew Taylor.  Andrew touches on a subject discussed here at the end of last April about how arts organizations will need to allow a freely moderated discussion between itself and patrons if it hopes to take full advantage of emerging technologies such as weblogs. That simple concept is really at the heart of so much which needs to …

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The New Cultural Superpower

In the not too distant past, the Cold War superpowers competed on a number of fronts, including cultural accomplishments.  Although classical music functioned in a unique role as a sort of “universal language” spoken by musicians who served as ad hoc ambassadors, both superpowers wanted their ambassador musicians to speak the language a little better than other side. We can thank that cold war mentality for contributing to the birth of …

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Thanks For the Cash But We’ll Need To See Your ID

There’s a sticky situation surrounding the now incarcerated investing magnate Alberto Vilar’s alleged indiscretions. The U.S. government has charged Mr. Vilar with three fraud related counts including defrauding a client of $5 million and using a high six-figure portion of those funds to make good on several defaulted pledges to performing arts organizations; including high profile groups such as The New York Philharmonic and John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing …

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Lost But Not Forgotten

Several orchestras have gone bankrupt & stopped playing since 2001. Here you can keep track of news relating to their situation: A MUST read.

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