How To Lose Donors & Alienate Patrons
Wed, Feb 2, 2015
by Drew McManus
In case you’ve missed it, the incoming board chair at Carnegie Hall, Ronald Perelman, has made it clear that he wants to fill that venue’s event calendar with more pop acts like the type he remembers from the 1950’s and 1960’s. At least, that’s what he told the New York Times in an article by
Read At Joes
Tue, Feb 2, 2015
by Drew McManus
I want to take a moment to highlight the 11 year anniversary for Joe Patti’s excellent culture blog, Butts In The Seats; Musings on Practical Solutions For Arts Management. I was enormously pleased when Joe decided to include his blog among the Inside The Arts ranks and with more than 1,600 posts it is one of
You Get An Extra Day To KILL DE WABBIT!
Mon, Feb 2, 2015
by Drew McManus
On January 22, 2015 we took a look at how a New York Philharmonic (NYPhil) promo video on Facebook for their Bugs Bunny At The Symphony II show managed to go viral along with its impact on ticket sales. As a worthwhile follow-up, it is worth pointing out sales were so high, the NYPhil added an
There Are Firsts And Then There Are Firsts
Fri, Feb 2, 2015
by Drew McManus
News is aflutter now about the Minnesota Orchestra heading to Cuba to be the first US orchestra to perform there since President Obama took steps to normalize relations between the countries in December 2014. That last part is emphasized because the more this news makes the rounds, the more that point gets glossed over; so
Place Your Bets
Thu, Feb 2, 2015
by Drew McManus
At the rate music directors at big budget orchestras are leaving, we might as well begin a betting pool. First Alan Gilbert in New York and now Christoph Eschenbach is leaving his position at the National Symphony Orchestra at the end of the 216/17 season. The official Kennedy Center press release has the relevant details although
Punctuate Your Grammar In Style
Wed, Feb 2, 2015
by Drew McManus
In an age of twitter lingo, texting, and autospell it can become all too easy to let your grammar and punctuation chops get rusty; fortunately, there are a few useful guides you can keep on hand to help your written communication remain sharp. I published a post at ArtsHacker on 2/16/2015 that examines both options;
Time To Rebuild The Negotiation Process Timeline
Tue, Feb 2, 2015
by Drew McManus
One of the footnotes in yesterday’s article pointed to a reference post from 2004 that chronicled the historic timeline of orchestra musician self-representation. It provides a decade by decade overview beginning with the 1950s through the most recent decade at the time the article was written, the 2000s. Nonetheless, thanks to the not-so-subtle prodding from a
Equal Work For Equal Pay: An Orchestra Musician Third Rail Topic
Mon, Feb 2, 2015
by Drew McManus
One of the most common tasks in my consulting work with boards and administrators is adjusting preconceived notions about the musicians union. One of the reasons misconceptions are so common is the musicians’ unique level of self-determination and direct representation is in stark contrast to most other labor unions. A Fascinating History Beginning in the
What Does A Concerto Taste Like?
Fri, Feb 2, 2015
by Drew McManus
Usually, stories that begin with “well, we were drinking…” turn out to have something other than a happy ending but a recent article published by Holly Mulcahy on 2/11/2015 at Neo Classical proves to be an exception to the rule. Mulcahy has been chronicling a series of events leading up to her upcoming performance of Jennifer
Chairs Are For Chumps