Examining Dallas’ “Bold Plan For Greatness” Part 1
Tue, Feb 2, 2006
by Drew McManus
In 2004, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra initiated a 10 year strategic plan with the goal of establishing the organization as one of the top five American orchestras in artistic level and a community landmark similar to the Dallas Cowboys. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to review Dallas’ plan and talk to their president and
Hidden Competition
Mon, Feb 2, 2006
by Drew McManus
The Partial Observer published an article of mine today about orchestras and competition. Although I doubt we’ll ever see direct competition between orchestras, the business already has quite a few similarities to professional athletics, especially in the realm of attracting and retaining talent. It’s worth your time to give the article a read, plus you’ll
Some Worthwhile Comments
Fri, Feb 2, 2006
by Drew McManus
Yesterday’s article, When Best Practices Aren’t, has generated some intriguing comments. If you read the article before most of the comments were posted, do yourself a favor and give them a read: comments
When Best Practices Aren’t
Thu, Feb 2, 2006
by Drew McManus
"Best Practices" is a popular buzzword combo throughout the business these days. Answers.com defines Best Practice as a "term which refers to those practices that have produced outstanding results in another situation and that could be adapted for our situation". Unfortunately, I see too many examples in this business of organizations rushing to implement a
Another Example Of Good Cultural Reporting
Wed, Feb 2, 2006
by Drew McManus
The Dallas Morning News published a piece by Scott Cantrell about the departure of Katherine Akos, president and CEO of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. You know it’s going to be a good piece when the article begins with the line…
Office Space
Tue, Jan 1, 2006
by Drew McManus
Whenever I get the opportunity, I always like to take a tour of an orchestra’s office. I’ve been through more than my fair share and can say that no two are alike. Nevertheless, there are some trends worth noticing…
And They’re Off!
Mon, Jan 1, 2006
by Drew McManus
The Columbus Symphony Orchestra recently announced that Junichi Hirokami will serve as the organization’s next music director, beginning June 1st. This marks the first new music director appointment for 2006 and that fact in and of itself isn’t usually enough to stop the presses until you consider just how many orchestras are looking for music
Embarking On An Innovative Project
Thu, Jan 1, 2006
by Drew McManus
At the beginning of January, 2006 I started work on a landmark, comprehensive project in association with Eastman School of Music’s Orchestra Musician Forum and Polyphonic.org…
A Good Example Of Cultural Reporting
Wed, Jan 1, 2006
by Drew McManus
A few days ago I published a piece about the importance of letting newspaper editors know you support and appreciate their decision to run classical music articles beyond mundane concert reviews. Recently, the Baltimore Sun published a piece by Tim Smith about the recent departure of James Glicker, the freshly resigned president & CEO of
Koonsman Heading Back To Run Fort Worth
Tue, Jan 1, 2006
by Drew McManus
Sometimes executives simply don’t work out with their orchestras. In Fort Worth, it appears that was the case with Katherine Akos, the executive manager who followed Ann Koonsman, long-time executive director for the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra…
