Drew McManus on the Orchestra business | est. 2003

Is There Humor Darker Than Black?

Fri, Oct 10, 2020
I was planning to publish an update on the Colorado Springs Philharmonic labor dispute today but time got away, but it will go up Monday. In the interim, I can across the following satirical tweet from @OrchestraSay that’s so black, it may well qualify as a quantum singularity. Oprah's handing out new CBAs to ICSOM

Internalizing The Concept Of Equity

Thu, Oct 10, 2020
The more a work can reflect society from the time it was written and provoke thoughtful contemplation, the better. If the musicality and topic keep the piece on my mind for more than a week after hearing it, that’s a win. The more polarizing current events are, the more potential exists for a work to

More Data (And Good News) On Streaming Concert Activity

Wed, Oct 10, 2020
The 10/26/2020 edition of the Seattle Times published an article by Melinda Bargreen that reports the Seattle Chamber Music Society (SCMS) is discovering their 2020 Virtual Summer Festival produced positive results. While SCMS doesn’t appear to have released any financial data, you can still see the results are encouraging: 389 new ticket purchasers which comprised

Shop Talk S01E06: The Need For Expertise

Tue, Oct 10, 2020
This episode’s topic is based on Jason’s blog post, The Most Teachable Era In Human History For The Necessity of Expertise. Questions of expertise are particularly relevant here an now when considering whether  the field has leaders with what we need for these unique challenges. But can that expertise be clearly defined? Do we know

Not That You Need Another Reason To Vote

Mon, Oct 10, 2020
Americans for the Arts recently released their 2020 Congressional Arts Report card, which provides a detailed summary of congressional voting records on key arts legislation. Another useful feature is an overview of which Senators and Representatives are active in cultural focused caucuses. One of the best reasons I’ve seen that reinforces why this report matters
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