Talking About Sexual Abuse In The Classical Music World With Rachel Katz

I had the pleasure of talking to WWFM’s Rachel Katz for her program, A Tempo about the sensitive topic of sexual abuse and misconduct. Kudos to Katz and WWFM for tackling such a difficult subject.

Adaptistration People 143We talk about how nonprofit performing arts organizations should be responding to allegations and helping to make their environments safer for all artists.

  • Board member responsibilities on institutional accountability.
  • Institution vs. individual responsibility.
  • Is it possible for The Met manage to emerge from this PR crisis with its reputation in tact.
  • Is there an ethical/morale stigma an artist or institution can’t shake (I particularly enjoyed discussing that topic).
  • What arts organizations should be doing (or perhaps required by the Federal government if they can’t get their act together).

In short, we’re facing a time of reckoning and there are chickens aplenty coming home to roost.

You can listen to the program via WWFM’s streaming library.

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAM
FWIW: if, after listening to the episode, you’re wondering which movie I couldn’t recall, it’s Spotlight (terrific flick, well worth your time).

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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