Nashville Symphony Increases Revenue By $1 Million

The 12/15/2016 edition of the Nashville Scene published an article by John Pitcher. The article reports that per the Nashville Symphony Orchestra’s (NSO) most recent audit, the organization posted a modest surplus. That, in and of itself, wouldn’t be breaking news but when taken into context with the previous year’s $732,000 deficit, the organization managed to increase revenue by just over $1mm.

Adaptistration People 037If you recall, during the 2012/13 season, the organization teetered on the brink of beleaguered status. They were dealing with the byproduct of predatory lending tactics from Bank of America which, in turn, triggered a series of labor disputes. Long story short, they managed to emerge from that dung heap smelling far better than peers in similar situations and in August, 2013 they managed to avoid a work stoppage.

So, from that perspective, the recent figures project a stronger position than what may be otherwise interpreted based on the most recent audit figures alone. All of which is a very good thing.

And who doesn’t like good news around the holidays?

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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