Commentary

Credit Where Credit Is Due: Met Opera Musicians

by
Adaptistration People 061

If there’s one transgression most professional orchestra and opera player associations commit, it’s launching public outreach efforts during a labor dispute only to abandon them once an agreement is ratified. When things are tough, they desperately want support and attention; but when things calm down, they could care less. That’s not exactly a formula for sincerity. In the best cases, the musicians maintain their efforts and after getting past the obligatory …

Read more

Granny’s On The Grift? Tell Me It Isn’t So.

by
Adaptistration People 132

There’s a fascinating article by Joe Patti at ArtsHacker that examines the problems related to just how easy it is for employees, even volunteers, to embezzle from nonprofit performing arts organizations. I can’t think of a year that’s gone by since Adaptistration started where there weren’t one or more instances of an employee stealing from the institution. Every couple months the treasurer tells our board of directors how easy it would …

Read more

Would We Still Bill The Titanic Musicians For Missing Uniforms?

by
Adaptistration People 019

Today marks the 105-year anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic and well before the movie launched the disaster into new levels of cultural consciousness, examining the historical event was a major stepping stone from my conservatory years. Specifically, one of the school’s ear training professors used to keep a framed photo of the musicians as a conversation piece to introduce students to the importance of valuing what artists contribute. …

Read more

Are Audiences A Reflection Or Projection Of What We Want?

by
Reflection or Projection

There’s an interview with outgoing San Francisco Symphony (SFS) executive director Brent Assink written by Mark MacNamara in the 4/4/2017 edition of the San Francisco Classical Voice that’s worth your time. Although there’s plenty of topic fodder, one area worth examining for today is the section on outreach to African-American communities. Here’s an excerpt of that entire section: However, one community that has been out of reach is the African-American community. …

Read more

Is That The Smell Of Disaster Blowing In The Wind?

by
Adaptistration People 023

According to the site’s metrics, there’s been a sharp uptick in the number of incoming visitors arriving via the search query “difference between strike and lockout.” Historically, cross tabulating search queries with landing pages is a good way to help verify industry scuttlebutt. For example, if I’ve been hearing about labor unrest at a particular orchestra, I’ll create a Google Analytics custom alert or dashboard module to let me know if …

Read more