Drew McManus on the Orchestra business | est. 2003

Five Questions With Black Orchestral Network Founding Board Member Alex Laing

Tue, May 5, 2022
Perhaps the one thing that sets the Black Orchestral Network (BON) apart from similar efforts is how much importance they place on accountability as a key to measuring success. In their open letter to American Orchestras, words are rarely minced. Systemic issues are clearly identified and after reading through their material several times it seems

Black Orchestral Network Lays Out Plan For Meaningful Progress On Orchestral Inclusivity And Equity

Mon, May 5, 2022
The Black Orchestral Network (BON), a newly formed organization comprised of Black members from more than forty orchestras, announced Monday, May 9, 2022, as a Day of Solidarity. The campaign has received early support from Gateways Music Festival and Working IDEAL along with community support from the Black Music Action Coalition. BON lays out their

Words Matter

Wed, May 5, 2022
Joe Patti published a fantastic article on 5/3/22 that examines labels attached to common nonprofit circumstances, like using “give” when communicating with patrons about donations. We’ve all encountered this at one point or another; retail stores frequently call customers “guests” and to a large degree, those changes are driven by expectations. Patti presents a few

Arts And Culture Employers Prefer Arts Admin Jobs

Tue, May 5, 2022
Recently, I distributed a survey to all the arts and culture employers that have posted job listings at Arts Admin Jobs (AAJ). The survey asked them to rate their user experience and return on investment compared to four other well known jobs boards that specialize in the arts and culture sector+. Out of 896 employer

It’s Time To Change up The Conversation On Concert Attire

Mon, May 5, 2022
Over the weekend, I ran across a Facebook discussion about what patrons wear to the orchestra. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it followed all of the well-worn paths about what everyone thought was acceptable or not and it stuck me just how much those talking points are out of touch. Artistic excellence is inconsequential if you aren’t selling
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