Finance
Book ’em Danno
Mon, Jan 1, 2006
by Drew McManus
The 01/18/06 edition of the Charlotte Observer reports that Opera Carolina has accused its former finance director, Mary Lopes, of embezzling nearly $50,000, of which Ms. Lopes reportedly used half of the funds toward a purchase at a Toyota dealership…
Parallels Among Pension Problems
Fri, Jun 6, 2005
by Drew McManus
I hope everyone out there who cares about orchestras is taking the time to follow the airline industry pension crisis. It’s been captivating to follow the recent round of Senate Finance Committee hearings which are attempting to gather information so Congress can determine how it should update pension-funding rules. In a nutshell, the problem is
Why Reaching 108% Of Your Goal Isn’t Always Good
Fri, Mar 3, 2005
by Drew McManus
I received a call from a musician a few days ago who was very upset about a situation in their orchestra. The frustration in this person’s voice was almost palpable, even over the telephone. The problem had to do with some contradictory evidence about ticket sales. This particular player is currently volunteering as a musician
Staring At The Crossroads In Salt Lake
Fri, Mar 3, 2005
by Drew McManus
Executive oversight is an issue which is high on the minds of the Utah Symphony & Opera (US&O) stakeholders. The two Salt Lake organizations officially merged at the beginning of this decade with the promise from their now CEO, Anne Ewers, that the new organization would be greater then the sum of its parts. Prior
To Tell Or Not To Tell
Fri, Nov 11, 2004
by Drew McManus
In Wednesday’s edition of the Dallas Morning News there was an article about the severe financial troubles of the Richardson Symphony Orchestra. Unfortunately, there seems to be more than enough orchestras with financial trouble these days, but what caught my attention was that the writer, Kristine Hughes, reported in one of the opening paragraphs: “[Richardson
