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.

Thanks For the Cash But We’ll Need To See Your ID

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There’s a sticky situation surrounding the now incarcerated investing magnate Alberto Vilar’s alleged indiscretions. The U.S. government has charged Mr. Vilar with three fraud related counts including defrauding a client of $5 million and using a high six-figure portion of those funds to make good on several defaulted pledges to performing arts organizations; including high profile groups such as The New York Philharmonic and John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing …

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An ICSOM Orchestra In ROPA Clothing

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The Grand Rapids Symphony, perched atop the pile of ROPA organizations for a number of years, has been staring its destiny square in the face.  Oddly enough, when compared to organizations at the lower end of the ICSOM budget scale (the next level up from ROPA status), Grand Rapids excels in nearly every category:

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TAFTO Contribution: Paul Bailey

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Musician and composer Paul Bailey helps round out the TAFTO contributions by examining some of classical music’s side roads.  As a musician, Paul has put a good bit of thought into exactly what constitutes a special concert experience is for him and he shares those thoughts about how to come across the magic with his contribution.

Keeping in mind the simplest solution is most likely correct, Paul provides a wealth of sources for helping you increase you’re chances of intersecting live performance "magic".

 

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