Drew McManus on the orchestra business.
In yesterday’s San Francisco Classical Voice, Lisa Hirsch published a great piece about the explosion of classical music blogs available today. Not only is it a great reference of music related blogs (you’ll find Arts Journal blogs by Teachout, Sandow, yours truly, and Critical Conversation listed) but it does an equally great job of outlining why music blogs have filled such an important need in the industry. But I digress, go …
Finding an extra special rallying point for your community to get involved with has always been a good move on the part of orchestras. Although orchestras should always have a series of events to focus attention on them, having a big event is a good way to wake up the sleeping congregation and bring in some converts. One of the most common events used by bigger orchestras is to plan an …
An article in the 12/05/04 edition of the Kansas City Star by Paul Horsley reports that the city manager wants to move a proposed parking garage to location which would force patrons to traverse up a steep hill to get from the garage to the planned performing arts center (something elderly or disabled patrons would not be able to accomplish without assistance). The city manager states the move would save $10 …
It’s no secret classical music isn’t part of the mainstream cultural consciousness, but it wasn’t always that way. Where did things change? How did a country with such a relatively short cultural history move from using traditional classical music as a benchmark for “legitimacy” to completely removing music as a cornerstone of cultural awareness? I published an article at The Partial Observer today which examines precisely those issues.
What’s the best way to deal with a grievance? At the San Francisco Opera it seems they prefer to pretend they don’t exist. However, the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) has decided that after nearly five years and 31 grievances (and more on the way), it’s time to force the issue by going to federal court. I spoke with Nora Heiber, the AGMA Northern California Area Representative, about the ongoing …