Drew McManus on the orchestra business.
While dealing with event production in the era of COVID is by no means easy, it’s still something most patrons and board members don’t see. And because the professionals making all of that happen are as good at it as they are, it risks comes across as simple. Thankfully, Mark Larson wrote an article for the 1/20/22 Chicago Reader that illuminates the challenges involved, the toll it takes on those doing …
As we begin the new year, I want to encourage everyone to contact the White House to advocate for the administration to establish a national vaccination status program that can be adopted at the state, local, and even institutional level. The omicron variant underscores the need for a secure and reliable system managed at the federal level that organizations and local governments can opt into. It needs to be user friendly …
The omicron variant is rapidly demonstrating that arts and culture orgs can find themselves in a scenario of unexpected shutdowns thanks to multiple cases of staff and artists testing positive for coronavirus. While everyone was looking forward to capitalizing on the momentum for in-person events, it’s beginning to look like groups that maintained their virtual activities developed over 2020 and 2021 are better positioned to continue their engagement if the sector …
There’s a fascinating article in the 10/26/21 edition of the Pittsburgh-Gazette by Jeremy Reynolds that examines the impact vaccination mandates are having on Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) musicians. Like many nonprofit performing arts organizations, the PSO adopted vaccination requirements for all artist employees and Reynolds’ article dives into some of the resulting conflict among some musicians refusing to be vaccinated. The article does an excellent job at making clear the requirement …
Recently, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) released a report examining how arts and culture institutions that accepted Payroll Protection Program (PPP) handled staff layoffs. It’s a good report and if you’re interested in a deeper dive, you can find some good analysis and commentary from Hakim Bishara at hyperallergic.com and Joe Patti at Butts In The Seats. These initial studies provide useful context for ongoing analysis …
