Drew McManus on the Orchestra business | est. 2003

Drew McManus

Cultural Confidence Continues To Drift

Mon, Apr 4, 2009
The latest cultural confidence polling cycle indicates that positive attitudes remained somewhat unchanged and those with a negative outlook don’t feel quite as bad as the previous polling cycle. At the same time, the overall outlook on current and future economic conditions is decidedly negative…

Do We Need A New Business Model?

Fri, Apr 4, 2009
At least, that’s the question posed by Peter Dobrin in an article he wrote for the 4/5/2009 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The quick answer is no, but Dobrin’s article is representative of the normal sort of reservation and introspective analysis that accompanies any sort of unexpected critical event. In this case, the predicament is

2009 TAFTO Publication Schedule

Thu, Apr 4, 2009
The 2009 Take A Friend To Orchestra (TAFTO) publication schedule has been finalized so mark your calendar: Monday 4/20: Matthew Guerrieri Monday 4/27: Brian Bell Tuesday 4/21: Janelle Gelfand Tuesday 4/28: Sir Andrew Davis Wednesday 4/22: Molly Sheridan Wednesday 4/29: Andrew Patner Thursday 4/43: Giancarlo Guerrero Thursday 4/30: Curtis Long Friday 4/24: Alan Valentine Friday

Process Still Matters

Wed, Apr 4, 2009
The 4/6/2009 edition of the Star Tribune published an article by Graydon Royce that examines a recent round of budget and pay cuts at the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO). The article reports that the organization’s president indicated that pay cuts for management and staff took place before approaching musicians. This is the same procedure

The First Minute Of A Ten Thousand Hour Journey

Tue, Apr 4, 2009
Recently, I had the pleasure of talking to Joff Schmidt, Associate Producer of CBC Radio One’s Definitely Not The Opera (DNTO), about what it means to be a professional musician; or, more specifically, the difference between amateurs and professionals. You can almost smell the loaded questions with this topic, can’t you? Nonetheless, the discussion was
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