Drew McManus on the Orchestra business | est. 2003

Some Encouraging Words

Tue, Mar 3, 2009
Bruce Ridge, North Carolina Symphony Bassist and Chairman of the International Conference of Symphony (ICSOM), testified before the House Committee on Education and Labor in Washington D.C. on a hearing about the economic and employment impact of the arts and music industry on March 26, 2009. In a positive sign of our tax dollars at

Recording Compensation Poll Results

Mon, Mar 3, 2009
On 3/19/2009, readers were asked to answer the question “Should an orchestra administration be expected to provide special compensation to musicians for recording marketing/education/outreach material?” At just over 200 responses the results don’t provide a clear majority opinion but they do provide additional insight into this topic…

Point-Counterpoint In Madison

Fri, Mar 3, 2009
The musicians of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (WCO) issued a press release on 3/26/2009 announcing plans to picket WCO offices at 3:00p.m. CT and then move to the state Capitol to protest WCO Board tactics throughout their prolonged contract negotiations. Details of recent events in those negotiations and reasoning behind the latest round of offers

Playing Catch-up

Thu, Mar 3, 2009
There’s only time for a quick post today: first, check out a slew of passionate comments to Stephen Lemons’ piece about the Phoenix Symphony brouhaha. Next, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (WCO) issued their last, best, and final offer to musicians but don’t think that’s the end; the musicians have indicated they plan to wait on

Bad Stuff In Phoenix Indeed

Wed, Mar 3, 2009
Over at Abu Bratsche, Robert Levine published an article on 3/23/09 entitled Bad stuff in Phoenix which brings to light ongoing events inside the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra regarding a slew of complaints resulting from what Robert describes as “general nastiness by the Phoenix Symphony management and Music Director Michael Christie.” But once you learn more
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