I have to admit that the whole Golden Age vs. the Prophets of Doom nonsense put me in a bit of a cynical funk over the past week but it worked out for the best as that sarcastic energy was channeled into something creative. I’ve been updating the graphic designs at most of the Inside The Arts blogs and the latest round of pixel pushing was Joe Patti’s Butts In The Seats blog. One idea led to another and the end result was a new mascot that pokes a little fun at the declinism perspective…
Year: 2010
Detroit; In Their Own Words
Chris Felcyn of Detroit’s WRCJ 90.9 FM recently sat down with representatives from Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s (DSO) management and musicians and allowed them to present statements about the current negotiations. Felcyn then presented those comments from DSO Cellist Haden McKay and DSO President and Executive Director Anne Parsons on his program, The Well-Tempered Wireless. In an age where print outlets continue to dominate, having an audio resource where listeners can take inflection and tone into account is a luxury…
The Negotiation Process: How It Works
The first step in understanding how your local orchestra functions as an organization is to understand the basic principles behind the document that deals with nearly every facet of its operations: the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Every major orchestra in America, regardless of union status, has some form of a contract that exists as a result of collective bargaining. This contract governs all issues related to musician compensation, benefits, work conditions, and the dismissal process.
What To Expect In Detroit
The 8/12/2010 edition of the Detroit Free Press published an article by Mark Stryker which reports the Detroit Symphony Orchestra musicians have scheduled two self-produced concerts in September. Stryker correctly observes that this is an ominous sign regarding the potential for both sides to reach an agreement before the current contract expires on 8/29/2010 and if they don’t reach an agreement, here is what might happen…
An Ugly War Of Words
No, this isn’t about any of the current labor disputes. Instead, this is about an online feud between Greg Sandow and Heather Mac Donald. If you aren’t aware of what’s going on here’s the 10 second synopsis: Mac Donald wrote an article titled Classical Music’s New Golden Age (meaning now) but Sandow didn’t like what she had to say so he wrote 5,413 words (most of which were entirely unflattering) over five articles to explain why. Shortly thereafter, Mac Donald fired back with a scathing retort…