Poll: Does [BLANK] Hurt Or Help A Conductor’s Career?

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Being a conductor is a funny business; prestige and presenting an aura of authority and success are very much part of the overall package for success. If you want to start a conversation fire when you’re with a group of orchestra stakeholders, ask them if they think a conductor with an adjunct or tenure track academic position hurts or helps his/her chances for landing a music director gig at a professional …

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What Every Conductor Should Know About Working With Marketers

CS Fellowship

On 3/15/2016 I had the pleasure to taking part in a private session for a conducting fellowship program on how conductors should work with an orchestra’s marketing team and help activate social media. The session was part of the Chicago Sinfonietta’s (CS) Project Inclusion Freeman Conducting Fellowship, which grew out of the organization’s existing musician fellowship program. The Sinfonietta is a pioneer in the field in that it was among the …

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Maestro Rules #21: Don’t Call Your Concertmaster “A Sweetie”

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There’s a fascinating article by Katharine Biele in the 11/11/2015 edition of the Salt Lake City Weekly that examines a string of key musician dismissals and demotions alongside a general uptick in musician attrition at the Utah Symphony since current music director, Thierry Fischer, arrived in 2009. At 4600 words, the article is decidedly exhaustive but it is also well researched and includes a host of quotes from key figures in …

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Place Your Bets

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At the rate music directors at big budget orchestras are leaving, we might as well begin a betting pool. First Alan Gilbert in New York and now Christoph Eschenbach is leaving his position at the National Symphony Orchestra at the end of the 216/17 season. The official Kennedy Center press release has the relevant details although you can be sure that the speculation circuit is certain to be kicking into gear sooner …

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So What’s The Real Story With Gilbert’s Exodus?

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Ever since the surprise announcement, the field has been abuzz with punditry and speculation about why New York Philharmonic (NYP) music director Alan Gilbert is leaving his position after such a comparatively short age to tenure ratio and amidst a turbulent period in the organization’s evolution via the hall formerly known As Avery Fisher renovation. The more people talk, the less likely anyone will ever have a comprehensive understanding of the …

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