The YouTube Orchestra. Meh…

In what feels like the orchestral equivalent of the overhyped Snakes On A Plane, the YouTube Symphony Orchestra fell into the world of online promotion like a cultural bat out of hell. Frankly, I don’t get why some people see it as such a big deal. The egalitarian slant is quickly revealed to be nothing more than democratic pabulum since Michael Tilson Thomas hand picks the finalists anyway (as pointed out at Abu Bratsche in true “Levinesque” form)…

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Some Clarification In Virginia

The 12/5/2008 edition of the Virginian-Pilot published an article by Teresa Annas which reports on the current cash-crunch at the Virginia Symphony Orchestra (VSO). Although the article does a fine job at reporting on some of the VSO’s current financial positions and some wonderful efforts by local politicians, there are a few inaccuracies about the orchestra business in general that require correction…

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Have You Subscribed To The Weekly Email Summary?

Although RSS is convenient and flexible tool to stay in touch with your favorite blogs, the allure of an old-fashioned email notice is stronger than ever; as such, don’t forget about Adaptistration’s Weekly Email Summary. Delivered to your email every Friday, it provides a concise summary of each week’s articles as well as access to Subscribers Only articles. Use the form located at the top of the right hand navigation column …

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More On Musician Temperament

The ever sharp Sam Bergman published a fascinating post on 12/3/08 in response to the satirical article published by Holly Mulcahy about how musician behavior can alienate audiences (you have to love cross blog blogging). Sam does a wonderful job at expanding on Holly’s original premise, especially with regard to root causes which unintentionally develop inadvertent conduct, but it is the end of his article that caught my attention…

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The One-Two Punch Of Inflated Ticket Prices

Last week I pointed readers to an article written by Mark Stryker in the 11/26/08 edition of the Detroit Free Press which examined the current state of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra finances. In that article, Mark reports that the organization is experiencing a decline in ticket sales and a recent sudden drop in financial support will only compound economic issues. At hand, is the quandary of how an organization in the midst of a sizeable, sudden budget shortfall will go about attracting increased numbers of ticket buyers with fewer marketing resources and no room to tolerate lower ticket revenue…

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