I’ll Try, But I Don’t Think My Phone Will Fit In There

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At the beginning of the month I wrote about the Anne-Sophie Mutter mobile phone kerfuffle and staked out a decidedly matter-of-fact perspective.

Fortunately, there are others out there looking to approach the topic from more of a productive outlook.

Case in point, violinist Holly Mulcahy gathered 10 such minds to provide positive thoughts, productive and creative ideas, and some hard truth realizations that go way beyond mere kvetching:

  • Stephen Marc Beaudoin; Executive Director, The Washington Chorus (SMB has ideas and they are ready for road-testing!).
  • Donato Cabrera; Music Director of the California Symphony and Las Vegas Philharmonic (sticking it to the man).
  • Ceci Grasso Dadisman; Arts Marketer, Nonprofit Communicator, and Public Speaker (why yes, we do need to get over our bad selves).
  • Tiffany Feltner; Box Office and Database Specialist (her geofencing concept is genuinely intriguing).
  • Daniel Hege; Music Director, Wichita Symphony and Binghamton Philharmonic, Principal Guest Conductor, Tulsa Symphony (respect goes a long way).
  • Garrett Harris; columnist San Diego Reader and founding editor Classical Rebellion (there’s a hashtag for that).
  • Tito Munoz; Music Director of Phoenix Symphony Orchestra (some real one-size-fits-none wisdom).
  • Arleigh McCormick; Marketing & Public Relations Manager Wichita Symphony Orchestra (pedantic is as pedantic does).
  • Sang Shen; Violin Pedagogue in San Diego and former section violinist with Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (all about rule breaking done right).
  • Scott Silberstein; Co-Founder/Executive Producer at HMS Media: “This is a time for more ‘could’ and less ‘should.’ Win-win opportunities are rare; let’s not throw this one away” (you can say that again).

Take That Cellphone And…

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.

View all posts by Drew McManus | Website

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