Good News Friday

After posting a link on my Facebook wall to Zach Finkelstein’s list of opera and choral groups that have decided to pay artists even though their performances had to be scrapped, Washington Opera Orchestra trombonist, Doug Rosenthal, reached out and suggested I should put together a similar list of opera companies that were paying the musicians.

He even compiled the beginnings of a list and sent it my way.

After thanking him profusely, I reminded him that even though his very popular blog, Who’s Your Audience?, has been on hiatus for a bit, there was nothing preventing him from publishing the list and updating it accordingly as needed.

I’m very glad to say he jumped right on the idea and his article has all the details along with a way to send him updates, corrections, and additions.

Opera Orchestras in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Working List

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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