Drew McManus

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

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

There is a big push among orchestra administrators to get musicians more involved within the inner workings of their orchestras. Although this isn’t a new idea, it is becoming more relevant, as we can observe from recent speeches by two of my favorite industry barometers: Michael Kaiser and Henry Fogel. In Mr. Kaiser’s recent address

Last April, our Canadian neighbors at Orchestra Canada established a program designed to identify common issues, challenges and successes among orchestras across Canada. All in all, it’s a very good report. I’m pleased by its candor at identifying the problems and deficiencies among its member orchestras. And unlike the type of “one-sided and guarded discussions

Imagine John Smith: He earns $50,000 year He makes another $10,000 a year from stock dividends For the last 15 years he’s always received a raise He has a $275,000 mortgage He has $70,000 in auto loans He has a kid in college for at least another three years. He lives month to month He