Labor Relations
Cleveland And Seattle: With Bated Breath
Wed, Jan 1, 2010
by Drew McManus
As the orchestra business watches Cleveland and Seattle with bated breath, it is difficult to wonder if events at these two larger budget organizations will have any impact on the business as a whole. And it isn’t just insiders who are paying attention, music critics, cultural reporters, bloggers, and just about any other stakeholder with
A Worthwhile Concessionary Agreement Part 2
Thu, Oct 10, 2009
by Drew McManus
Part 1 in this set of articles examined the concept of board atrophy, a general deterioration of board stewardship, and how it is impacting an orchestra’s fundraising performance amidst the economic downturn. For the most part, this is every bit as serious a threat to the future of orchestras as the actual economic downturn. Today’s
Something Every Good Manager Knows
Fri, Sep 9, 2009
by Drew McManus
Earlier this week, the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM) published a copy of the comments delivered to the American Federation of Musicians’ (AFM) International Executive Board (IEB) on 7/27/2009 by its chairman, Bruce Ridge. ICSOM describes the comments as “critical of the delayed and subverted process through which the President of the
A Matter Of Representation
Wed, Sep 9, 2009
by Drew McManus
Hot off the heels of the personality vs. process post a few days ago that examined the current conflict between the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) and its player conferences, the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM) went public with a list of objections against the current AFM leadership. The material includes numerous
The Empire Strikes Back
Thu, Jun 6, 2009
by Drew McManus
Crisis management public relations is never easy and there is a good reason entire PR firms exist for the sole purpose of helping individuals and organizations’ deal with negative press in a way that marginalizes damage and ultimately brings about favorable public opinion. Traditionally, orchestras tend to deal with negative press using one a few
