Although we haven’t been following the details at the Kentucky Opera (KO) as closely as the Louisville Orchestra (LO) labor dispute, the two groups are intertwined in that they share the same musician pool. And whereas the LO has not yet staged performances with replacement musicians since their work stoppage began several months ago, the KO did stage a production with piano accompaniment and the next scheduled performance includes plans for replacement musicians.
Month: February 2012
Why You Should Be Thinking About Round-Up Donations
Over the last few months, I’ve noticed an uptick in the frequency of round-up donation functionality at a number of online retailers. If you’re not already familiar with how round-up donations work, it’s a fairly straightforward micro-fundraising method; during the checkout process, buyers are asked if they want to round-up their purchase to the nearest dollar and donate that difference to a participating charity.
Honesty: the best of all the lost arts.*
In a business as comparatively small and collegial (at least on the surface) as the orchestra business, it’s tough to find someone who isn’t afraid to speak honestly and from the heart about sensitive topics. Fortunately, we’ve got someone like Bill Eddins to point out the Emperor isn’t wearing any clothes.
Worth Keeping An Eye On
There is an intriguing set of events underway in Dayton, Ohio in that three of the dominant arts organizations are amidst the final stages of a proposed merger; the Dayton Philharmonic, Dayton Opera, and Dayton Ballet. Regular readers know that we haven’t looked favorably on most arts organization mergers; in general, they are far more complex than what many imagine when considering the endeavor. But I have to say that based on what I’ve seen to date, the plan in Dayton is looking pretty good.
Arbitration Proposed In Louisville
According to a report filed by Elizabeth Kramer in the 2/9/2012 edition of the Louisville Courier-Journal, the Louisville Orchestra (LO) has issued an offer to the LO Musicians to enter into binding arbitration as a final measure to resolve the prolonged labor dispute and resultant work stoppage. But Kramer’s report indicates that the offer comes with a few caveats.