I Don’t Even Know Where To Begin With This

We all know products have to be advertised but this video spot for Depend undergarments titled “Orchestra” is utterly ridiculous. Try to set aside the annoying inaccuracies such as pulling open the curtain on the downbeat and the “conductor” that isn’t conducting with the beat and just pretend not to notice the “magic wand” reference (note to self: don’t hire copy writers who wear Harry Potter t-shirts to the office). Sadly, those are the advertisement’s highlights but enough words, just watch the video…

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“An Illegal Lockout” In Charleston

According to a representative speaking on behalf of the Players Association of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra (PACSO) the official position of the musicians and its union, Coastal Carolina Association of Professional Musicians Local 502, have stated that they consider the Charleston Symphony Orchestra’s (CSO) decision to suspend operations “an illegal lockout and we are pursuing it to the fullest extent of the law.”…

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Charleston Goes Dark

According to a report from Adam Parker in the 3/29/2010 edition of The Charleston Post and Courier, the Charleston Symphony Orchestra (CSO) has suspended operations for the remainder of the 2009/10 season. The news was announced to musicians following the organization’s Sunday concert and to the public via a press release issued the same day. The Post and Courier article reports CSO board president Ted Legasey as saying the suspension is an effort to avoid bankruptcy…

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Killing Off The Audience?

Just a few pointers today centered around the same theme. First, conductor Bill Eddins is in full rant mode in his post How To Make Sure We Don’t Have An Audience in 20 years – Part The First where he levels his ire on the practice of closed rehearsals. This reminded me of an entire series of posts by Holly Mulcahy entitled How To Alienate Your Audience in 10 Easy Steps. …

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And You Thought The AFM Was Tough

You’ve probably read about the 2/28/2010 “incident” at Italy’s famed Pantheon where employees stopped a concert before it was over because it was closing time (thus prompting musician and audience ire). The incident embarrassed the Italian government enough that it ultimately prompted Italian Culture Minister Sandro Bondi to issue an official apology to the Russian musicians. But did you know there was video…

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