The “Gruesome Details” Of Philly CEO Renewal

On 2/29/2012, the Philadelphia Orchestra Association (POA) issues a two page press statement announcing a multi-year contract renewal for President and CEO Allison Vulgamore. Music critic Norman Lebrecht reports that the deal will require approval from the bankruptcy court then, in turn, refers to an article on the matter by Philadelphia Inquirer music critic Peter Dobrin for the “gruesome detail.”

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Patience Cures Many An Old Complaint

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Today’s title is an Irish proverb and one wonders if that phrase would have ever been coined if they were running professional orchestras at the time. Nonetheless, complaints seem to be a staple of the arts administration environment. Blame it on a host of reasons; inadequate resources, artistic temperaments, the economy, lack of professionalism, and so forth, but the reality is complaints aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. But that doesn’t mean …

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Get Money, Get Paid

Two articles worth looking into came out last week that touched on what will almost certainly become an increasing flashpoint of attention in coming months: executive compensation. First up is Peter Dobrin’s article in the 6/9/2011 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer that takes a long look at recently released compensation figures for Philadelphia Orchestra Association (POA) CEO Allison B. Vulgamore…

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“Women Still Fight for Seat in Major Orchestras Worldwide”

That’s the title of Rory Williams’ article in the latest edition of Strings magazine which examines the Vienna Philharmonic’s past practice of no girls allowed along with the role female musicians play in leadership positions within US orchestras. Williams draws on figures from the orchestra compensation reports here at Adaptistration and his piece certainly gets you thinking…

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A Cultural Military-Industrial Complex?

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The 7/23/2008 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer published an article by the ever sharp Peter Dobrin which revealed that former Philadelphia Orchestra President, Joe Kluger, continued to receive compensation from the organization after his departure. Although deferred compensation and severance pay are nothing new, Dobin noted that Kluger’s compensation focused more on consulting fees… “After stepping down as president on Aug. 31, 2005, Kluger continued to draw a salary from the …

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