Year: 2020

Three Generations Of Conductors Walk Into A Bar…

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No, this isn’t a joke; quite the opposite in fact. Instead, it’s a Facebook Live event happening this afternoon at 12 noon ET and hosted by Phoenix Symphony music director Tito Muñoz. Three generations of American conductors/musicians/leaders converge in a Facebook Live conversation to share their personal experiences during the current pandemic, and what they may foresee for the future of our industry. The panel includes: Marin Alsop Leonard Slatkin Michael …

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Where There’s A Will…

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Are you looking for a nice pick-me-up in the face of what can seem like an otherwise grim arts news cycle? I’ve got just the thing to remind us why other fields look to creatives for ways out of situations where they feel trapped. From what I gather, the recording is live so what you’re hearing is singing through masks (if anyone knows for certain, I’d love to hear from you). …

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Independent Contractors Are Feeling The Squeeze

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Along with tracking orchestra manager and musician employment rates here at Adaptistration, I’ve been running a similar survey at ArtsHacker. In addition to a much broader cross section of arts admins, it also measures the impact among independent contractors such as consultants, service providers, practitioners, etc. One fascinating detail to emerge is how much harder independent contractors are getting hit. For example, 20 percent of independent contractors indicated their existing contracts …

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State Of Employment Poll & Review May 11 – 17

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With several weeks of data, our weekly employment status polls, which track both orchestra administrators and musicians, are beginning to illustrate trends. Weekly Report Perhaps unsurprisingly, as shutdowns continue, we’re starting to see more shifts in the ratio of workers indicating they are employed at a reduced rate or not at all. Administrators experienced a 30 percent increase toward workers indicating they were working at reduced employment status and/or being furloughed …

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Time For A History Lesson

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One of the most common questions I’m asked by arts admin students is which books they should read to learn about the latest trends in arts management. While that’s a fine endeavor, I usually respond saying there’s far more to learn by talking to as many retired or soon to be retired insiders as possible. The history of this field is poorly documented and much of the knowledge from past generations …

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