Drew McManus on the Orchestra business | est. 2003

This Is The End My Friends

Mon, Feb 2, 2013
This Is The End My Friends
Sunday, 2/17/2013 was a bittersweet day in that Paul Dixon published what will be the last episode for Who’s Minding The Score? (WMTS?); at least, the last one for now… For those who regularly follow the comic strip, you’ve noticed that the latest story thread has closely paralleled some of the more public labor disputes

Small Change = Big Returns

Fri, Feb 2, 2013
Coffee Tip
Sometimes, it’s the little things that produce big changes. Case in point, after using the same image in the 100% Reader Supported area of the blog’s sidebar since 2010, I put together something new. The change was nothing more than a convenient excuse to try a new Photoshop template I had wanted to play with

Legislative Action In Minnesota?

Thu, Feb 2, 2013
There is an interesting pair of articles about the recent Minnesota House Legacy Committee hearings into the ongoing lockouts at the Minnesota Orchestra Association (MOA) and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO). Of particular note is the suggestion from State Representative Phyllis Kahn that funds currently allocated to both organizations instead be redirected to their

Show A Development Pro Some Love

Wed, Feb 2, 2013
Adaptistration People 021
There’s a wonderful post from Joe Patti over at Butts In The Seats titled Info You Can Use: Development Directors Need Love Too that examines the dangerously high levels of career unhappiness among development professionals. We examined the very same topic here back on 1/22/2013 and it’s good to see other folks picking up on

What An Embarrassment, In My Hometown No Less

Tue, Feb 2, 2013
cello
The Strad recently reported about an incident at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and cellist Alban Gerhardt that ended with Gerhardt’s Heinrich Knopf bow fractured into two pieces; in short, this is one of every string musician’s worst nightmares. There’s no official word yet on what Gerhardt plans to do next but it seems clear from

Another Step Toward Darkness In Minnesota

Mon, Feb 2, 2013
Following the Minnesota Orchestra Association’s (MOA) announcement of additional concert cancellations through 4/7/2013, the organization now stands the very real potential for cancelling the entire 2012-2013 regular season. Using the MOA’s public rationale and pattern for timing cancellation notices since the lockout began combined with the final event date of 6/2/2012, it is fair to

Seven Minutes To Midnight On The Minnesota Orchestra Doomsday Clock

Fri, Feb 2, 2013
Although James R. Oestreich’s article in the 2/6/2013 edition of the New York Times doesn’t provide any new information to those already up to speed with the Minnesota Orchestra Association (MOA) labor dispute, it does provide a somber reminder that the entire debacle is wearing thin. It has grown increasingly clear that this dispute has

Don’t Be A Micromanager From Hell

Thu, Feb 2, 2013
In the deepest recesses of my soul I know I’m a micromanager. Or to be more precise, a perfectionist, workaholic, micromanager that is fortunate enough to make a self employed living so I can keep the obsessive tendencies tightly locked away when working with others but let them run free when I’m flying solo and

Apparently Something Happened In Indianapolis

Wed, Feb 2, 2013
Remember the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s (ISO) big, ugly, and very public labor dispute and work stoppage? It was temporarily suspended thanks to a bridge agreement that included a board goal of raising $5 million by the beginning of February. That deadline recently passed and the ISO issued a press release on 2/3/2013 stating they exceeded

Interesting Developments In Denver

Tue, Feb 2, 2013
The 2/1/2013 edition of the Denver Post reports that Colorado Symphony Orchestra (CSO) CEO Gene Sobczak has decided to leave the organization. Sobczak leaves the position after stepping in for one year following the ugly and very public board split led by former CSO board chair and current League of American Orchestras board officer Bruce
Previous Next