Month: August 2021

It Isn’t Often You See This Much Potential For Artistic Change

by

The 8/3/2021 edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published an article by Jeremy Reynolds that takes a deeper than normal look at the 13 openings at the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO). 13 simultaneous openings at an orchestra of this budget size that isn’t emerging from a major labor dispute and/or financial implosion is highly unusual. What’s more, five of those are principal level positions and one fixed seat position. 1st violins, three …

Read more

Now Is The Time To Address The Arts Admin Pay Gap

by

On one hand, it’s great to see orchestras hiring back staff members who were laid off or furloughed over the pandemic. At the same time, when I speak with a number of executives it is clear they are having a difficult time not only hiring back those workers, but attracting new employees to fill those now vacant positions and the single most common reason is uncompetitive pay. It’s no secret nonprofit …

Read more

Taking A Week Off, But First, Let’s Geek Out On Some Data

by

For the first time since the pandemic, I’ll be traveling for work so when combined with an already deadline filled week, I decided to play it safe and take the week off. Having said that, if anything big transpires, I’m sure to write something. In the meantime, I’ll step up on posting items of interest at my Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn feeds. And yes, I do cherry pick which content goes …

Read more

When Was The Last Time You Trusted An Organization To Pick Your “Best Seats Available”

by

Anyone who has purchased a choose-your-own seat ticket to a performing arts event has probably seen the obligatory “Best Seats Available” option. In theory, its purpose is to assist ticket buyers who aren’t familiar with the venue to select good seats, but the reality is it’s a way to push seats an organization wants to unload or to keep people from being spread out too much in an undersold hall. From …

Read more

The Latest In Actions And Consequences

by

The 8/3/21 edition of The Baltimore Sun published an article by Mary Carole McCauley that reports on the orchestra’s decision to dismiss Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) principal flutist Emily Skala. This situation appears to be one of those rare instances where a musician employee is dismissed for non-artistic reasons. Skala has made headlines a few times over the pandemic as a result of her decisions to speak out on social media …

Read more