In Boston, XX Marks Anything But A Spot On The Program

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XX

There’s a fascinating article in the 12/20/2017 edition of the Boston Globe by Malcom Gay about the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) being taken to task by local musicians and academics over the institution’s lack of diversity in its 2017/18 programming. In an open letter, the group pointed out that though the symphony touts its diverse programming, the 2017-18 season “showcases neither diversity nor innovation.” Of the 73 pieces scheduled to be …

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According To SAS Musicians, Deficits Reflect More On Governance, Not Capacity

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Reflection or Projection

The Musicians of the San Antonio Symphony (MOSAS) published a newsletter on 12/23/17 that includes an article by Peter Flamm, San Antonio Symphony (SAS) Principal Timpani. According to Flamm’s article, the organization’s deficits aren’t the result of inadequate staff efforts or musician expenses. Instead, he suggests deficits over the past few decades should raise questions about governance. If advertising and promotion is unattractive or sporadic, ticket sales will be low and …

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#TBT San Antonio Symphony Negotiations Turn Sour (Again)

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Adaptistration People 136

Over the summer, the San Antonio Symphony (SAS) made a surprise announcement that it was shutting down and assigning all mission related activity to a newly formed entity, Symphonic Music for San Antonio (SMSA). This included negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for the one set to expire on August 31, 2017. At the time, there were no shortage of questions related to how SMSA intended to move forward given …

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Your Company Has A Basketball Team? That’s Great, Mine Has An 80 Piece Orchestra

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Adaptistration People 120

There’s a fun article by JP Mangalindan in the 12/19/17 edition of Yahoo Finance that examines the company sponsored 80-piece orchestra at Amazon.com. Although doctors’ and lawyers’ orchestras have a long history, I can’t think of another volunteer orchestra this size organized entirely within a single company (I’d love to hear about others). Although the article doesn’t clarify exactly how much of a budget the group receives, it reports Amazon provides …

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