Drew McManus on the Orchestra business | est. 2003

The Lyric Opera Of Chicago Fires the First Shot In A Labor War

Fri, Oct 10, 2020
The latest entry in the round of COVID triggered labor disputes is from The Lyric Opera of Chicago. The organization released a 14:38 video that says it is intended for company members that features General Director, Anthony Freud, and Board Chair, Sylvia Neil. I say intended because it really seems designed more for donors and

#TBT UK Adds Injury To Insult For Artists Suffering Under COVID Job Losses

Thu, Oct 10, 2020
The 10/12/2020 edition of The Guardian published an article by Lanre Bakare that examines a tone-deaf media campaign from the UK government pushing citizens toward careers in cybersecurity. The reason why is pretty straightforward: This isn’t the first time a career in the arts has been a punching bag for “real jobs.”  Do you remember

If You’re A G Suite User, Google Voice May Be The Solution To Your Remote Workforce Telephone Problems

Wed, Oct 10, 2020
Among the myriad of operations-oriented problems orchestras are facing are how to handle telephone connectivity for office staff that now work remotely. Sure, you can forward calls but there may be a much better option at your fingertips in the form of Google Voice. If your organization already has a G Suite for Nonprofits account,

Crowdsourcing Mask Knowledge

Tue, Oct 10, 2020
In a perfect world, musicians would have ample time to try a variety of face masks in order to find options that provide maximum safety and comfort. Having said that, things are far from perfect and the cost of buying a few dozen masks is an expense most musicians aren’t in a position to absorb.

A Road Map For Digital Programming From Sequoia Symphony

Mon, Oct 10, 2020
At the end of last week, the Sequoia Symphony Orchestra (SSO) published a teaser video about their upcoming Music Uplink digital series. I managed to get a head’s up about the program when recording an upcoming Shop Talk episode with SSO music director Bruce Kiesling and Niccolo Go, Partner and Creative Director at Go Creative