Drew McManus on the orchestra business.
It’s been a heavy-duty week and it is high time to regain a little faith in the world. To that end, violinist and cat foster Esther Abrami posted a video from one of her recent practice sessions that included a novel way to keep a foster kitten occupied. Granted, this is 10/10 adorable out of the gate but just wait until the 1:06 mark…
Late last week, Columbia Artists Management Inc. (CAMI) announced that after 90 years it was shutting down. Any time a company with such a long history and prominent influence in the field shuts down is an event of note. Having said that, it shouldn’t be interpreted as the canary in the coal mine event I’m seeing in some social media discussions and classical music outlets. What I’m about to provide is …
The Seattle Symphony Orchestra (SSO) recently announced plans to begin performing live concerts via streaming platform as a cornerstone of 20/21 activity. If their county government engages Phase 4 of their reopening strategy during the season, they plan on introducing in-person audience live concerts. According to the SSO’s press statement, streamed performances will include guest artists although none were named. Programs will feature onstage performances with socially distanced Seattle Symphony musicians …
There’s nothing quite like a topic grenade to round out the week. Today’s entry comes from Fort Worth where the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra (FWSO) recently announced they intend to produce live, indoor concert events in the fall with heavily reduced audiences and strict social distancing rules. Before anyone decides to jump on the pro/con bandwagon, think back to June when we looked at efforts underway at the Dallas Symphony to …
Less than a month after public discord over growing labor disputes, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) announced it is cancelling the 20-21 “indoor” season. The press statement isn’t available on the ISO’s website, rather, it was published via several media outlets. Of interest in the statement is the following passage: We will also be meeting to discuss how the musicians will be supported in the interim, with a priority on providing …