Drew McManus on the orchestra business.
I’ve been reading a number of job descriptions (JDs) as of late and while they’ve been steadily improving over the past few years, something happened in 2021 and I’m seeing more and more of the boilerplate, jargon filled, word salad nonsense that defined JDs from years past. This is especially true of executive director and CEO positions and for candidates, that should be giant red flag. Pardon me for stating the …
Just a short and sweet post today to say there must be something in the air as I’ve seen a trio of classical music prediction articles over the last week. Usually, they don’t really bother me but while the field is still emerging from the pandemic and uncertainty runs rampant, now is not the time for prognostication. Instead, examining how orchestras can use this time of transition to shed old habits, …
In case you were wondering if process and diversity matter, just look at what’s been unfolding at the Art Institute of Chicago where they cut their entire 82-member docent corps go in an email on September 3, 2021. The Institute’s reason for dismissing the docents is they weren’t as diverse as they wanted. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the bulk of those docents were white, retired, women of mid to higher financial means. Once …
I’ve seen several friends and colleagues chatting about a 10/5/2021 article at thenonprofittimes.com which examines the rapidly changing environment of online development. With the subtle headline Fundraisers Wrestling With Tech As Giving Plows Forward, the article doesn’t shy away from addressing some of the biggest self-inflicted hurdles that prevent organizations from maximizing their development efforts. At the top of that list is the need to wean development professionals off of fundraising-specific …
All it took was more than a year and some of the pandemic-era labor dispute PR for the Colorado Springs Philharmonic’s executive leadership to end up pretty much right where could have landed a few short months into their dispute. If you aren’t already familiar with the details, things became ugly following the employer’s decision to cancel the union agreement. Since then, the musicians offered sizeable financial and work rules concessions, just like …