What The Richardson Symphony Should Have Done

The Sunday, 7/10/2010 edition of the Dallas Morning News published an article by music critic Scott Cantrell that calls the labor dispute between the Richardson Symphony Orchestra (RSO) and its musicians a “showdown.” That description certainly adds to the western flavor of events, nonetheless, the RSO could have employed a much better solution that would have avoided all of this conflict…

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“Faulty Reasoning”

The 6/12/2010 edition of the Wall Street Journal published an article entitled “The Zero Option; Do regional orchestras still make artistic sense?” by renowned culture journalist Terry Teachout. I was planning on writing something about it but instead, I decided it would be better to reprint one of the reader comments to Teachout’s article…

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Nashville Symphony to Perform Free Public Concert

You have to admire their resilience. Mere days since their concert hall was flooded and in the face of months of repairs, the Nashville Symphony Orchestra has scheduled a FREE outdoor public concert this Friday, 5/7/2010. Nashville Symphony Orchestra president and CEO, Alan Valentine, said “…the orchestra has shown over the years that it’s a resilient organization that’s highly responsive to its community. We were able to arrange this event in …

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So No Hard Feelings Then?

When will folks learn that just because you give an interview in a non-English media outlet that doesn’t mean word won’t get back to the U.S.? The latest transgression instance comes from conductor Christoph Eschenbach who told Die Welt (English translation via Google) that he thinks the Philadelphia Orchestra management during his time there as music director was “incompetent” and that they “lie.” He continued by reportedly accusing them of mismanagement that directly led to the orchestra’s current economic condition…

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Again With The Airline Restrictions

If there were ever an issue that musicians’ unions, service organizations, and artist managers see eye to eye, it is the need for reasonable measures that allow musicians to bring their instruments on board the aircraft when traveling for business related purposes. Following the botched terror attack of a U.S. airliner over the holiday, airport security has ratcheted up to such a level that many musicians are being forced to check instruments. I’ve received at least a dozen notes from musicians since the incident and perhaps unsurprisingly, they are panicked over the increased measures…

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