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.

The new “Age of Convergence”

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One of the greatest benefits of the Internet Age is the ability for individuals to cross paths that would have normally never known each other. This new “Age of Convergence” allow individuals to share and develop ideas that mature from their initial stages to reasoned doctrine in less time than ever before. One of my passions is history. I firmly believe in that old adage “Those who fail to learn from …

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Squeezing Blood From A Turnip

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Back in November I wrote a blog entitled A Bridge Campaign Too Far that talked about how orchestras are beginning to squeeze their corporate and private patrons for donations too often. And now we have a new large scale example: The Washington Post published a story today stating Maryland’s “Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan threatened to “mothball” the partially completed Strathmore Hall concert pavilion if the County Council refuses to help …

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Franchise Orchestras

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Here’s a crazy idea, why not apply the for-profit business practice of franchises to orchestras? Specifically, I’m thinking about a chamber orchestra that has the flexibility to perform chamber music as well as ballet and opera productions that offer a high quality artistic product for a lower than normal user fee (ticket price). You could either build on a successful established program or start a program that can be easily reproduced. From a bottom line standpoint, you can save a considerable amount of money on expenditures that relate to education, outreach, marketing, artistic operations, insurance, and accounting costs. Additionally, you can lower expenses by contracting guest artists, composers, and conductors for multiple dates and locations at one time.

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Reader response: Getting back to our roots

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I’ve received a great deal of communication about this topic but one reader points out an omission on my part. A member of the Cleveland Orchestra wrote in to say: “Don’t forget parents of young students. I see my students’ (and my wife’s students’) parents at concerts all the time. In many cases their interest was developed or rekindled by their kids’ burgeoning interest in orchestral music.” Our reader is absolutely …

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Enabling Patrons

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Faithful reader Frank in Alexandria and I had a productive communication last week. Frank is very passionate about revitalizing classical music in his lifetime and he brings a refreshing analytical approach thanks to his years as a research scientist. Here’s what Frank had to say: “Progressive groups will be will become stronger if they communicate and cooperate. One of the ways any committed person like me can help is to gather …

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