All I Really Need To Know About How To Attend A Classical Music Concert I Learned In Kindergarten

Published on Mon, Feb 12, 07 at 7:00 am CST

The Partial Observer published an article of mine last week that is the result of some bad concert experiences I have endured since the onset of the 2006-2007 season. These occurrences had nothing to do with the quality of performers on stage, rather, they had everything to do with the behavior of my fellow concertgoers.

As a result of those experiences, I’ve created a list of seven simple rules concertgoers can follow to help create an enjoyable concert experience. Share and enjoy…

About Drew McManus

"I hear that every time you show up to work with an orchestra, people get fired." Those were the first words out of an executive's mouth after her board chair introduced us. That executive is now a dear colleague and friend but the day that consulting contract began with her orchestra, she was convinced I was a hatchet-man brought in by the board to clean house.

I understand where the trepidation comes from as a great deal of my consulting and technology provider work for arts organizations involves due diligence, separating fact from fiction, interpreting spin, as well as performance review and oversight. So yes, sometimes that work results in one or two individuals "aggressively embracing career change" but far more often than not, it reinforces and clarifies exactly what works and why.

In short, it doesn't matter if you know where all the bodies are buried if you can't keep your own clients out of the ground, and I'm fortunate enough to say that for more than 15 years, I've done exactly that for groups of all budget size from Qatar to Kathmandu.

For fun, I write a daily blog about the orchestra business, provide a platform for arts insiders to speak their mind, keep track of what people in this business get paid, help write a satirical cartoon about orchestra life, hack the arts, and love a good coffee drink.

View all posts by Drew McManus | Website

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