Drew McManus

"I hear that every time you show up to work with an orchestra, people get fired." Those were the first words out of an executive's mouth after her board chair introduced us. That executive is now a dear colleague and friend but the day that consulting contract began with her orchestra, she was convinced I was a hatchet-man brought in by the board to clean house. I understand where the trepidation comes from as a great deal of my consulting and technology provider work for arts organizations involves due diligence, separating fact from fiction, interpreting spin, as well as performance review and oversight. So yes, sometimes that work results in one or two individuals "aggressively embracing career change" but far more often than not, it reinforces and clarifies exactly what works and why. In short, it doesn't matter if you know where all the bodies are buried if you can't keep your own clients out of the ground, and I'm fortunate enough to say that for more than 15 years, I've done exactly that for groups of all budget size from Qatar to Kathmandu. For fun, I write a daily blog about the orchestra business, provide a platform for arts insiders to speak their mind, keep track of what people in this business get paid, help write a satirical cartoon about orchestra life, hack the arts, and love a good coffee drink.

State Of Employment Poll & Review May 18 – 24

by

The past few weeks of our weekly employment status polls, which track both orchestra administrators and musicians, have generated some intriguing trends and this week was no exception. Weekly Report For whatever reason, the overall number of replies from all three stakeholder groups increased this week, especially from respondents identifying as an administrator. Administrators continued their trend toward a larger ratio working reduced hours/pay and those who are laid off or furloughed. …

Read more

Live with Carnegie Hall: A Tribute to Lynn Harrell

by

Mark your calendar now, on Thursday, May 21, 2020 at 2:00pm ET Carnegie Hall will broadcast a free live tribute concert to Lynn Harrell. It is an absolutely beautiful tribute idea and an equally challenging task to organize in today’s environment. Thank you Carnegie Hall. I can’t wait. Here’s the official event description: American cellist Lynn Harrell’s half-century career placed him in the highest echelon of performing artists. A superstar roster …

Read more

Three Generations Of Conductors Walk Into A Bar…

by

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 …

Read more

Where There’s A Will…

by

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). …

Read more

Independent Contractors Are Feeling The Squeeze

by

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 …

Read more