Commentary

What Orchestra Musicians Might Learn From The Current UAW Strike

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Adaptistration People 040

How important is equal pay for equal work in today’s unionized orchestra environment? We examine this issue on a regular basis as it relates to substitute musicians, but the recent Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) work stoppage highlights a growing inequality at living wage orchestras between veteran and new-hire musicians by forcing the latter into a retirement program that provides markedly lower benefits. The impact on solidarity is self-apparent. In turn, degraded …

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Will Gelb’s Tenure Survive The Latest Met Scandal?

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Adaptistration People 136

In case you aren’t already familiar with the PR crisis unfolding in real-time at Metropolitan Opera, here’s a quick overview: Singer Plácido Domingo, who is facing multiple accusations of sexual misconduct, was scheduled to appear as part of the company’s Macbeth In response to internal and external concerns, Met general manager, Peter Gelb, confirmed Domingo would be appearing and that the allegations lacked enough corroboration. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the response from Met …

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Do We Really Want To Find Out How Much Is Too Much?

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Adaptistration People 065

William Blake wrote “you never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough” and while that packs plenty of good, it isn’t something you should want when thinking about how far you can push employees beyond a breaking point. Joe Patti published a thought-provoking post last week about the discouraging earning potential of artists in general, but it got me thinking about the broader nonprofit arts and …

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Tomorrow Is Baltimore’s Next Waypoint

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Adaptistration People 140

Update: 9:10am CT: BSO musicians file unfair labor practice. Wednesday, 9/11/19, is the next threshold in the ongoing Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) work stoppage. Technically, the employer has ended their lockout and is offering musicians work but that seemingly simple term has a gargantuan asterisk attached. The problem is there’s still no new contract nor is there any indication of the terms the employer is offering if the musicians return. Are …

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Patron Service, Patron Experience, and Patron Care

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Adaptistration People 053

Last year, I cancelled a membership at one of Chicago’s premier art museums due to an issue with promised member benefits. In this case, the museum designed a benefit to help sidestep a well-known pain point in the form of long entrance lines. It was simple: members receive expedited entry. It is an effective benefit that works great…until it doesn’t. Like many museums, this one does not permit patrons to carry …

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