Drew McManus on the orchestra business.
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 are rescinding their decision to cancel health insurance. In an article from 6/25/2019, we examined the …
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 the impact it has on day-to-day cash flow. The [BSO] owed its vendors $2.1 million as …
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 other outlets to fill my cultural tank. Until last night’s Grant Park Music Festival (GPMF) concert, …
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 millennials, and then proceed to bash millennials. Yikes. Made for a rough presentation recovery. #Orch2019 — …
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 common for musician employees to use the term “management” when referring to the executive leadership; specifically, …