Parting Shot
Thu, Feb 2, 2009
by Drew McManus
Although Senator Tom Coburn was the architect of the amendment that sliced attempted to slice the arts out of the economic stimulus package, it is fair to remember that 72 additional senators fell in line to support a bad idea inspired by flawed reasoning. Apparently, Coburn didn’t feel the same sort of moral conviction to
Amendment No. 175 Voting Results
Wed, Feb 2, 2009
by Drew McManus
Thanks to Adaptistration reader Geo, we now have the official Senate roll call votes for the “Limitation on Funds Amendment No. 175,” otherwise known as “Coburn Amendment No. 309.” You can find text results at the senate.gov website but since a picture really is worth a thousand words, I took a moment to arrange the
Burn, Baby, Burn.
Tue, Feb 2, 2009
by Drew McManus
After watching Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) – a politician so evil even his own lawyer wants nothing to do with him – lead the charge to eviscerate the .0000588 percent of the economic stimulus package directed toward the arts, I can’t help but think of a passage from John Schaefer’s 1/15/2009 blog post: At times
Post Inauguration Cultural Confidence Levels
Mon, Feb 2, 2009
by Drew McManus
As we slide past the second full week of the new administration and observe boisterous debate about economic recovery plans every day, the overall impact of these events have had mixed effects on cultural confidence levels. On one hand, respondents feel better about current economic conditions (although the prevailing sentiment is “negative”) but the outlook
Madison’s Red Herring Special
Fri, Feb 2, 2009
by Drew McManus
When considering historical reasons behind work stoppages in the orchestra business, what comes to mind are intense disagreements on financial compensation and/or work rules, impending financial impasse, entrenched positions among stakeholders, attempts to implement sizeable budget cuts, etc. After the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (WCO) announced they were cancelling their 2/27/2009 Masterworks concert due to what
Self Inflicted Wounds
Thu, Feb 2, 2009
by Drew McManus
Holly Mulcahy published the last installment in her series of articles which examines how each group of orchestral stakeholders can manage to alienate current and potential concertgoers. Having already covered music directors, musicians, and managers, the final article takes a satirical look at how audience members manage to alienate each other. I’m sure any long
Following Up On Access And Affordability
Wed, Feb 2, 2009
by Drew McManus
Never one to avoid putting his money where his mouth is, Alex Ross posted a follow-up article to his “Cheap Seats” post which highlights some affordable concert offerings in the New York City area as well as throughout the US and UK. Alex also takes a moment to point out the benefit of having centralized
Breaking News: Blagojevich Founds New Orchestra
Tue, Feb 2, 2009
by Drew McManus
According to the federal criminal complaint against ex-Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, he was “intercepted conspiring to sell [President Obama’s] Senate seat in exchange for millions of dollars in funding for a non-profit organization that he would start and that would employ him at a substantial salary after he left the governorship” (page 57). Notwithstanding, the
Something Doesn’t Smell Right In Madison
Mon, Feb 2, 2009
by Drew McManus
After making steady progress on months of contentious negotiations, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (WCO) issued a press release on January 30, 2009 announcing they were cancelling an upcoming February concert nearly a month away. According to the PR, the reason for the cancellation is because the Musicians of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra negotiation committee rejected
Good News About The Negotiation Process
Thu, Jan 1, 2009
by Drew McManus
Amid a season filled with real and potential negotiation strife, there are still a number of instances where the collective bargaining process is being implemented without undue friction. One recent example is the Westchester Philharmonic negotiations which concluded at the onset of 2009. What makes this particular negotiation worth examining is the fact that not
