Closure Is Good

Unless you’ve been in some sort of personal media blackout, it’s difficult to avoid all of the news surrounding the discovery and return of the Lipinski Stradivarius last weekend. In addition to performing a special recital on 2/10/2014, the Lipinki’s current steward, violinist Frank Almond, has started talking about the event now that the investigation is wrapping up.

ViolinIn what one can only imagine had to be one hell of an itch to finally scratch, Almond gave in interview to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s John Diedrich and Daniel Bice that was subsequently published in the paper’s 2/11/2014 edition. He also gave a Q&A at the Milwaukee Press Club’s Newsmaker Luncheon that same afternoon.

There’s a good account of the latter event in the 2/12/2014 edition of OnMilwaukee.com in an article by Matt Mueller where Almond recounts just how dull it is to go through the process of getting eliminated as a suspect along with confirming that he did, indeed, recover his bows that were taken along with the Strad.

It’s a relief to see something that could have gone so terribly wrong resolve on a bright note. If nothing else, this business always manages to grow quite a bit of beauty from even the tiniest slivers of sunlight.

About Drew McManus

"I hear that every time you show up to work with an orchestra, people get fired." Those were the first words out of an executive's mouth after her board chair introduced us. That executive is now a dear colleague and friend but the day that consulting contract began with her orchestra, she was convinced I was a hatchet-man brought in by the board to clean house.

I understand where the trepidation comes from as a great deal of my consulting and technology provider work for arts organizations involves due diligence, separating fact from fiction, interpreting spin, as well as performance review and oversight. So yes, sometimes that work results in one or two individuals "aggressively embracing career change" but far more often than not, it reinforces and clarifies exactly what works and why.

In short, it doesn't matter if you know where all the bodies are buried if you can't keep your own clients out of the ground, and I'm fortunate enough to say that for more than 15 years, I've done exactly that for groups of all budget size from Qatar to Kathmandu.

For fun, I write a daily blog about the orchestra business, provide a platform for arts insiders to speak their mind, keep track of what people in this business get paid, help write a satirical cartoon about orchestra life, hack the arts, and love a good coffee drink.

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1 thought on “Closure Is Good”

  1. Thank you for reporting on the violin bows. Knowing how valuable and rare bows are in their own right makes me question how this was overlooked in the mainstream press. I doubt anyone would want to hear a Strad being plucked. Let’s not take that for granted.

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