The Futility Of Words In The Face Of Artistic Poignancy…
Wed, May 5, 2008
by Drew McManus
By Jeff Stahler, originally published in the April 11, 2008 edition of the Columbus Dispatch
Columbus’ Smoking Gun
Tue, May 5, 2008
by Drew McManus
If the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is destined to die, then patrons and the local community at-large deserve to know why the fatality should be investigated as a homicide. To that end, it is time to go hunting for clues and as it turns out, there’s a smoking gun at the crime scene…
It’s The Board, Stupid
Mon, May 5, 2008
by Drew McManus
The 5/10/2008 edition of the New York Times published an article by Dan Wakin which introduces some valuable clues behind what is really going on behind the veil of spin coming from the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO) executive board. Among the quotes from CSO music director Junichi Hirokami, one in particular sheds light on the
Columbus Board Prepares To Throw In The Towel
Fri, May 5, 2008
by Drew McManus
According to a Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO) press statement dated 5/8/08, the board of directors has cancelled both of the organization’s summer concert series, which have been a part of Columbus summers for more than 25 years. Furthermore, the statement asserts that "due to uncertainties surrounding the 2008-2009 season" the organization is deliberately not selling
Okay, Okay, Okay, I’ll Write About Muti
Thu, May 5, 2008
by Drew McManus
Riccardo Muti is scheduled to take over the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2010 and the cultural blogosphere is abuzz with commentary and since I don’t want to get another 40 odd email messages asking why I haven’t written anything about yet I decided to finally weigh-in. Frankly, I’m not certain why there is so much
Does This Violin Make Me Look Fat?
Wed, May 5, 2008
by Drew McManus
Can a passion for the perfect instrument become incapacitating? Holly Mulcahy examines the issue in her latest article at The Partial Observer, which serves as an excellent companion to the article Jason Heath just published over at Arts Addict about what string players go through to find the "perfect bow." On a related note, I’m
Travel Pay: Front And Center
Tue, May 5, 2008
by Drew McManus
Hot on the heels of a post about the impact of increased gas prices, the 5/1/2008 edition of The Isthmus-Madison published an article by Tom Laskin which reports on the current collective bargaining agreement negotiations between the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (WCO) and their musicians. One of the primary issues examined in the article is how
Inside The Arts Podcasts Have Arrived
Mon, May 5, 2008
by Drew McManus
After months of talking about it, the new series of Inside The Arts podcasts have arrived. The inaugural episode, entitled Battle Of The Brahms, is available at www.insidethearts.com/podcasts. Guest panelists Frank Babbitt, Collins Trier, and John Rosenkrans (all members of the Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra) do a brilliant job at demonstrating how to un-stuff
Too Much Of A Good Thing
Fri, May 5, 2008
by Drew McManus
Although this notice could be filed under "better late than never" I wanted to take a moment to point out an article which appeared at The Partial Observer at the beginning of April by Holly Mulcahy which examines the realities of numerous job openings in one orchestra. Holly does an excellent job of walking a
Because Shut Up, That’s Why!
Thu, May 5, 2008
by Drew McManus
Back in the beginning of April, 2008 Jason Heath (Arts Addict and Double Bass Blog author) and I recorded the first three episodes of Inside The Arts’ new series of podcasts and next Monday, the first episode from that session goes live. This inaugural series is a music review podcast where a panel of guests
