Drew McManus on the Orchestra business | est. 2003

Commentary

Things Get Weird In Baltimore

Mon, Jul 7, 2019
Adaptistration People 140
When the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) initiated a lockout of musician employees in June 2019, they also announced health care benefits would be cancelled at the end of the month. Not even two weeks later, the BSO’s executive leadership announced that while they intend to maintain the lockout throughout the course of the summer, they

A Question Of Systemic Debt In Baltimore

Fri, Jun 6, 2019
Adaptistration People 040
There’s a fascinating article in the 6/25/2019 edition of The Baltimore Sun by Mary Carole McCauley that begins to draw lines supporters use to align themselves with one stakeholder or another in the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s (BSO) ongoing lockout. Specifically, the article examines the recent spike of annual debt over the last 19 months and

Kareem Roustom’s New Work Leaves You Feeling Like A Better Person Than You Were Before

Sun, Jun 6, 2019
Adaptistration People 176
I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve written concert reviews and one of those is only because I was paid. In fact, over the past year, I’ve been in a profound state of burnout when it comes live classical music and with one notable exception, I’ve spent the 2018/19 season finding

Enough With The Millennial Bashing Already

Fri, Jun 6, 2019
Adaptistration People 195
Thanks to a colleague (you know who you are) for pointing out a wonderful keeping-it-real-tweet from Gerry Heise, Senior Major Gifts Officer at the LA Philharmonic, posted on the final day of the League conference. Conference speaker tip: don’t ask how many millennials are in the room, see that half the room is comprised of

Let’s Elevate The Discourse Of Labor Disputes

Thu, Jun 6, 2019
Adaptistration People 092
As the Baltimore Symphony heads into what is looking like an all but certain knock-down, drag-out labor dispute, it’s worth mentioning a few points of opportunity all stakeholders can benefit from. First and foremost, it’s time to internalize the distinction between executives and staff within the larger administrative structure. Historically, during orchestra labor disputes, it’s
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