Time To Binge Read ‘Who’s Minding The Score?’

WMTS?It has been 21 months since Paul Dixon inked the final entry in his weekly cartoon Who’s Minding The Score?, which chronicles the behind the scenes governance of the fictional Ft. Fitzer Philharmonic (FFP).

Although it may come across as using absurdist humor to parody the complex issues related to contemporary orchestra governance, anyone with some insider perspective can pick out the strong threads of realism.

In the end, that’s what really makes the cartoon a classic is its endearing characters and always sharp wit. It doesn’t matter if you were a passionate reader or it is entirely new, do yourself a favor over the holiday break and binge read all 156 comics starting right off at issue #1. You’ll be glad you did.

Meet The Characters
Need to get caught up on who’s who?

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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