Commentary

#TBT: Will Baltimore Become The Next Installment In A Legacy Of Mistrust?

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Adaptistration People 195

Yesterday, 7/17/19, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) musicians issued a diminutive press statement to announce the latest negotiation developments. It was diminutive in size because there wasn’t much to say. BSO Management Again Refuses to Budge No progress was made at today’s negotiation. BSO Management has not changed its position. The musicians’ proposal remains that management should end the lockout and restore the status quo contract while the working group created …

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Measuring Artistic Quality In The Wake Of Contentious Labor Disputes

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The 7/13/2019 edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published an article by Jeremy Reynolds that examines what I consider to be one of the most pressing topics of our time. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it also happens to be one of the rare third rail topics shared by executive leadership and musicians: measuring artistic quality in the wake of contentious labor disputes that end in concessions. Here’s how those situations unfold: Employer proposes dramatic …

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#TBT Remember The Days When Neoreactionaries Seemed Extreme?

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Adaptistration People 131

Back in July, 2014 I published a post about what I defined as the end of the golden age of orchestras and opera. I came to that conclusion, in part, because of the sharp increase in neoreactionary dominated culture. Within that context, neoreactionaries were those who cast themselves as victims within a larger operating environment and believe they are somehow tasked with a principled responsibility to right the wrongs for a …

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Spoiler Alert: The Latest Spider Man Movie Takes A Swipe At Opera

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Adaptistration People 139

Over the holiday weekend, I went to the latest Marvel movie, Spider Man: Far From Home. With the exception of a single scene, it’s a typical installment in the tent-pole franchise but that exception is a doozy in that it takes a swipe at some of the worst stereotypes of live classical music concerts. Mild Spoiler Alert: in a nutshell, the protagonists need to hide a group of teenagers for a …

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The Problem With Nonprofit Arts Admin Pay

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Adaptistration People 173

There’s an excellent article in the 6/12/2019 edition of fastcampny.com by Ben Paynter that examines two recent studies on nonprofit staff compensation. Spoiler alert: both studies uncovered ample evidence that compensation is a strong pain point among most employees. Compensation is a regular topic here at Adaptistration and back in 2016, we conducted a survey of orchestra and opera staffers and managers to help determine the how and why behind orchestra …

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