Off To The National Performing Arts Convention

Adaptistration People 152

I’ll be arriving at the National Performing Arts Convention this afternoon around 12:00noon-1:00PM local time and I’m looking forward to seeing old friends and getting to meet people I’ve been emailing for years but have never met face-to-face. For those of you attending the conference and are as torque off as I am that the $9.99/day fee for Wi-Fi access doesn’t include the floors where most convention activities are being held, …

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Too Cool For Words: Moo MiniCards

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Just in time for the National Performing Arts Convention this week, my new Moo MiniCards arrived and I can’t wait to start handing them out. If you aren’t already familiar with Moo’s MiniCards all you need to know is that they are "it" when it comes to the latest trend in business card design. London based Moo takes business card customization to insane levels by allowing users to print a full-bleed graphic on one side with up to six lines of text on the other. But wait, I can hear you saying "that’s no big deal, a lot of printers allow you to do that already. Here’s the catch: you can print each one of your minimum 100 order cards with a completely different image if you so desire…

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Things That Make You Go “Buh?” – Columbus

Although the 2008 Orchestra Compensation Reports were a big hit this year, they meant a week without reflecting on some significant developments in the field. In particular, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO) crossed the self-imposed line in the sand for cancelling operations last Sunday, June 1st. Since then, the organization has dismissed all but the executive staff and according to the Columbus Dispatch, CSO Board President Robert “Buzz” Trafford terminated the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the organization’s musicians although the contract does not expire until August 31, 2008. This isn’t the first time this executive board implemented a short sighted decision but the real head-scratcher is Trafford’s comment to the Dispatch where he was quoted as saying that cancelling the CBA “has no impact on the negotiations” with musicians. Although I tend to avoid arguing with an idiot out of fear that they’ll drag me down to their level then beat me with experience, this foolish statement deserves some attention…

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2008 Compensation Report: Concertmasters

The final installment of the 2008 Orchestra Compensation Reports will examine compensation levels for concertmasters… WHO IS THIS CONCERTMASTER PERSON? For those not already familiar with the concertmaster position, this is the title reserved for the principal seat within the 1st violin section. More often than not, this is the musician you see walking out on stage at the beginning of the concert to initiate the orchestra’s tuning process before the …

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2008 Compensation Report: ROPA Music Directors

The 2005/06 season was a very lucrative season for most Regional Orchestra Players Association (ROPA) music directors, on average they experienced one of the highest percentage increase in compensation over the past seven seasons… WHERE THE NUMBERS COME FROM In order to provide information that is as accurate as possible, data from the 2005/06 season is gathered from the following sources: Music Director Compensation figures were obtained from their respective orchestra’s …

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