Drew McManus on the Orchestra business | est. 2003

Drew McManus

Artistic Quality And Dynamic Consequences

Mon, Jul 7, 2010
It is no secret that the field as a whole is working day by day to manage debt and maintain stability. At the same time, maintaining artistic quality in light of necessary budget cuts is a tight rope no one enjoys walking but it gets a little easier if everyone works together. Failing that, decisions

In Richardson, The Battle Begins

Fri, Jul 7, 2010
It seems that the board of the Richardson Symphony Orchestra (RSO) has decided to discontinue bargaining with their musicians in advance of the current collective bargaining agreement expiration date of August 31, 2010. They also informed patrons in a letter dated 7/1/2010 that in addition to suspending negotiations, they “will not be renegotiating a collective

Take My Blog, Please

Thu, Jul 7, 2010
Just imagine it: having hundreds of readers pour pore over every word you write about on an orchestra business topic of your choice. I’m giving away Adaptistration for one day at the end of the month to someone who wants it. All you have to do is write in and let me know who you

Orchestra Nightmares

Wed, Jun 6, 2010
If you’ve never seen an episode of Kitchen Nightmares, starring iconic chef Gordon Ramsay, you’re missing out. The program’s self described premise is quite straightforward: “Ramsay steps…into some of the country’s most unsanitary and unsuccessful restaurants to help them turn their businesses around or close their doors forever.” It’s hard to avoid thinking about how

Andrew Adler Couldn’t Be More Right

Tue, Jun 6, 2010
The 6/27/2010 edition of the Louisville Courier-Journal published a commentary piece by music critic Andrew Adler where the author shares a frank response to the sort of discussions that have been permeating the business. In particular, the recent keynote topics at the latest League conference in Atlanta. It’s (unfortunately) becoming increasingly rare to see candor
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