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.

Getting back to our roots

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When did our orchestras stop acting like a grass roots organization? Nearly all American orchestras originated from nothing more than a desire among community members to create a performing arts ensemble. American orchestras are not the result of aristocratic privilege and wealth from 200 years ago like their European cousins. Even the mighty New York Philharmonic and Chicago Symphony started life as small humble ensembles, having to be content with playing …

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Good news in San Antonio

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The San Antonio Symphony is going to get a boost to its New Year. Ron Noble, symphony musician and AFM Local 23 President sent word that there is gong to be a New Years Eve Concert to benefit the symphony. The San Antonio Lyric Opera and the San Antonio Symphony League are sponsoring the event that, up until the orchestra suspended its performances, was and annual tradition. It’s good to see …

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Tomorrow’s Audience Today

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Audience development. In the language of orchestral management that means getting people to show up for concerts. Those in the field are likely familiar with the Classical Music Consumer Segmentation Study conducted by the Knight Foundation, and if you aren’t I highly recommend taking a look. Although it isn’t a perfect study, it does help us begin to address this critical problem in an analytical fashion. Unfortunately, one point the study does …

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Reader Response: Empowerment Issues

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After reading the blog about Empowerment Issues, Paul Primus wrote in with his observations. It’s important to note that Paul is the Principal Second Violin for the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, an ensemble that has experimented with greater musician participation regarding orchestra governance. Paul was a member of the Denver Symphony when it collapsed and remained to become a member of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, so he has a unique historical perspective …

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Reader Response: More on Education – Observations

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Thomas Cabaniss, Director of Education for the New York Philharmonic recently sent in his opinions regarding the OC findings on education programs as they relate to relevance in their communities. He had this to say:I read your article which centers on the Canadian report, and I agree with many of the tenets, but differ with regard to the generalizations and the assumption that they are necessarily transferable. Orchestras are attempting to …

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