Drew McManus
US Congresswoman Denigrates Military Bands And Musicians
Fri, Mar 3, 2016
by Drew McManus
Regular readers are already aware that the single largest US employer of full-time professional musicians is the United States Armed Forces. In addition to their critical role inside the US Armed Forces, their contributions to the cultural and artistic fabric of communities they are stationed are practically too large to measure. But that doesn’t seem
A Tentative Deal In Grand Rapids
Thu, Mar 3, 2016
by Drew McManus
It looks like we’re one step closer to wrapping up the list of outstanding mid to large budget orchestras with expired agreements that have managed to ratify a new contract without resorting to a work stoppage. The Grand Rapids Symphony (GRS) reportedly reached a tentative five-year agreement after more than seven months of play and
So Good, It Makes Me Angry
Wed, Mar 3, 2016
by Drew McManus
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times: Joe Patti doesn’t seem to be capable of writing a bad blog post. Cases in point, two of his recent posts rise to the level of must-read status. The first article went up at his blog, Butts In The Seats, and it addresses one
What Every Conductor Should Know About Working With Marketers
Tue, Mar 3, 2016
by Drew McManus
On 3/15/2016 I had the pleasure to taking part in a private session for a conducting fellowship program on how conductors should work with an orchestra’s marketing team and help activate social media. The session was part of the Chicago Sinfonietta’s (CS) Project Inclusion Freeman Conducting Fellowship, which grew out of the organization’s existing musician
Take My Ticket, Please!
Mon, Mar 3, 2016
by Drew McManus
About a decade ago, the notion of ticketless events was a hot topic but it was several years ahead of its time. Fortunately, the technology curve is beginning to catch up and we’re at a point in time where affordable solutions that are also user-friendly for both patron and organization have started trickling into the
