Get The Cash Before It’s Gone
Fri, Nov 11, 2008
by Drew McManus
The United States Federal Government isn’t even half way through handing out more than $700 billion in bailout funds to the nation’s financial institutions in hopes of healing self-inflicted wounds and now the three major US auto makers are looking for a handout. According to a report from CNN, the auto makers claim sharp declines
Getting Musicians Involved
Thu, Nov 11, 2008
by Drew McManus
Following the Canadian Orchestra Website Review, Calgary Philharmonic Bassist (and TAFTO 2008 contributor), Matt Heller, posted an article at his blog the other week which questioned the value of posting contact information for musicians. Based on the parameters Matt approached the topic I would agree with his conclusions, especially with regard to obligating musicians to
Post Election Confidence Poll
Wed, Nov 11, 2008
by Drew McManus
Now that the country has spoken and Barak Obama is the president elect, I’m curious to know if this has any impact on your economic outlook for orchestra/opera/ballet organizations. Since we started tracking these issues a month ago, the economic outlook has been quite grim; however, can these election results change attitudes?…
Election Day Necessities
Tue, Nov 11, 2008
by Drew McManus
In anticipation of long lines at polling stations across the country, here are a few lists to help you persevere over the wait…
Yep, It’s Time For Conductor Finishing School
Mon, Nov 11, 2008
by Drew McManus
Holly Mulcahy published the first in a series of articles today entitled “How To Alienate Your Audience In 10 Easy Steps.” Although written from a satirical point of view, the article does an excellent job at identifying some of the fundamental problems that turn good conductors into not-so-good conductors, all of which leads to alienating
Ross And Ma Are Tops. Maazel, Not So Much
Fri, Oct 10, 2008
by Drew McManus
This week’s poll asking readers to vote for whether Yo-Yo Ma, Lorin Maazel, or Alex Ross best represents classical music to the general public based on their respective Colbert Report appearances generated a great deal of interest. The results (as of the evening of 10/30/08) were intriguing…
Some Mid-Week Cross Blogging
Thu, Oct 10, 2008
by Drew McManus
The week has been filled with some excellent cross-blogging between a few of my Inside The Arts blogging neighbors. First off, Ron Spigelman offers some first-person perspective on the dynamic impact of the Kansas City Symphony (KCS) lawsuit on local Missouri orchestras. Next, Joe Patti posted a blog about the Yo-Yo Ma appearance on The
Take Your Pick: Ma, Maazel, Or Ross
Wed, Oct 10, 2008
by Drew McManus
After watching Yo-Yo Ma’s appearance earlier this week on the Colbert Report it dawned on me that throughout 2008, that program featured three prominent classical music figures: Yo-Yo Ma, Lorin Maazel, and (classical music’s newest G-Man) Alex Ross. Each appearance left me with a distinctly different impression and I’m curious to know if readers think
Cultural Confidence Update
Tue, Oct 10, 2008
by Drew McManus
The latest cycle in the ongoing Cultural Confidence poll finished up this weekend and the Cultural Confidence Indicator has been updated accordingly. Results from that poll cycle indicate the current mood toward cultural institution’s finances is an uneasy wait-and-see whereas the economic outlook is bordering on organized panic…
We Still Need To Get Over Our Bad Selves
Mon, Oct 10, 2008
by Drew McManus
The Music Critics Association of North America (MCANA) released a letter on October 21, 2008 addressed of the editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer urging her to rescind her decision to reassign the paper’s long time music critic, Don Rosenberg. The details about the issue have been written about throughout a wide range of blogs
