Drew McManus on the orchestra business.
Just a quick post today pointing out a terrific piece from Joe Patti on the topic of artists being asked to provide services for exposure to support pandemic efforts. Unlike most conversations on this topic, Patti’s article isn’t espousing one notion over another, rather, he takes the time to provide specific instances over the last few weeks that span the full range of scenarios that may qualify as exploitation to those …
Even before coronavirus shutdowns, music director compensation was a hot topic, but the current environment introduces a new layer when the issue of shared sacrifice enters the picture. And while there’s plenty of good material to examine regarding releasing enough details for patrons to decide just how evenly sacrifices are shared, that’s not what this post is about. Instead, it’s about a music director’s ability to earn their keep, so to …
Since the onset of coronavirus related shutdowns, orchestras have been laying off and reducing hours for administrators and musicians alike. This weekly poll is designed to help provide a snapshot of stakeholder employment status. For staffers and managers, the questions are straightforward. Music directors (employee or independent contractor status) and staff conductor positions should respond as an administrator. For musicians, questions are specialized for salary and per-service level musicians. While there …
At the time this was written, the State of Employment poll from earlier this week asking orchestra administrators and musicians about their work status following the onset of coronavirus related shutdowns has generated more than 150 responses. Thank you to everyone who took a moment to respond and thanks to that sample size, this will become a weekly effort until things normalize. The poll will allow respondents to reply once per …
Last week, the Kennedy Center’s executive leadership decided to set aside established stakeholder relationships and strike out on its own by unilaterally declaring that most employees would be laid off or furloughed within a week’s time. Health care would be terminated one month following the official layoff date if the shutdowns continued. Fast forward to today and it’s a very different story. When announcing the cuts at the very end of …