News You May Have Missed

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The past several days have been filled with news that has either missed making its way into mainstream media or received an unusually small amount of coverage…

bein.jpgRobert Bein, co-founder of the venerable Bein & Fushi violin dealership succumbed to cancer over the weekend at age 57. Arguably one of the most influential appraisers and dealers in the business over the past quarter century, Robert Bein was frequently at the center of events that shaped the rare string instrument business. His passing will undoubtedly have an effect on not only that trade but the entire orchestra business.

This week, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra announced that a search committee consisting of board members, managers, musicians, and the music director has been formed and will begin meeting to discuss criteria, recruitment strategy and more to identify a new president and executive director.

Finally, the San Antonio Symphony announced that a nine-person search committee comprised of community leaders, members of the orchestra and Symphony management has been formed to identify a new music director. Committee membership includes:

  • Committee Chairman Dennert Ware, retired chief executive officer of Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (KCI)
  • Tracy Wolff, community volunteer
  • Dr. Sheila Swartzman
  • Eddie Aldrete, Senior Vice-President, IBC Bank
  • David Green, President/CEO of the San Antonio Symphony
  • Jeff Garza, Principal Horn of the San Antonio Symphony
  • Sharon Kuster, Principal Bassoon of the San Antonio Symphony
  • David Mollenauer, Assistant Principal Cello of the San Antonio Symphony
  • Ilya Shterenberg, Principal Clarinet of the San Antonio Symphony

    • And stay sharp next week as you won’t want to miss the announcement from at least one ICSOM ensemble about appointing a new music director.

    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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