Drew McManus on the Orchestra business | est. 2003

It’s All About Ambiance

Mon, May 5, 2005
The Partial Observer published an article of mine today which examines some of the shared problems between movie theatres and classical music venues.  The discussion stems from Martha Bayles’ excellent article appearing at Serious Popcorn last week.   Getting people out of their comfy homes, plasma screen televisions, TiVo’s, 100+ channels of television, and DVD’s

TAFTO Reader Response: I Took Myself

Mon, May 5, 2005
Joe Patti, theatre manager and host of the always educational blog, Butts In The Seats, decided to take part in TAFTO in an unusual way; he took himself.  In an unusual turn of events, Joe crossed paths with some of the musicians shortly after the concert.  But I won’t spoil the surprise, read all about

What Sticky Floors And Orchestras Have In Common

Sat, May 5, 2005
Arts Journal weblog neighbor, Martha Bayles, published a great little article the other day about how the atmosphere at a typical Cineplex is one of the predominant factors in the declining attendance figures for that industry.  Says Martha, “[Will] the new “Star Wars” prequel will reverse the overall decline in theater-going. Surely not! Long before

TAFTO Contribution: Lynn Sislo

Fri, May 5, 2005
Rounding out this week’s contributions is Lynn Sislo, a classical music enthusiast who also hosts the very popular culture blog, "Reflections in d minor".   It’s easy for people who are intertwined deeply in the creation of live classical music to get overwhelmed by their surroundings.  As such, Lynn’s contribution is refreshing and quite poignant. Not

Reader Response: There Goes Joe

Thu, May 5, 2005
Last week’s article entitled There Goes Joe elicited several very passionate responses from readers.  Although the issue of executive compensation has been examined here before, it’s certainly a subject worth continued discussion. First, was a response from a senior manager at an ICSOM level orchestra who takes issue with what I wrote in that article

TAFTO Contribution: Blair Tindall

Thu, May 5, 2005
"Walking a mile in another man’s shoes" is the theme for oboist, journalist, and author Blair Tindall’s Take a Friend to Orchestra contribution.  Helping patrons over any anxiety or self consciousness issues are critical elements in building tomorrow’s audience today. Blair’s first book, Mozart in the Jungle, comes out in late June. Composer William Bolcom

TAFTO Contribution – Lisa Hirsch

Wed, May 5, 2005
Although she claims to be a technical writer, self described opera geek Lisa Hirsch’s writing reads like anything but dry, technical, stereo instructions.  Instead, her blog, The Iron Tongue of Midnight (I like it when people use some of the more obscure quotes from Shakespeare) is a veritable clearinghouse of fantastic ideas and discussions on

TAFTO Contribution – Bill Eddins

Tue, May 5, 2005
Conductor and pianist William (Bill) Eddins has been a really popular guy this past year. Most notably, he was appointed as the music director for the Edmonton Symphony and as such has been the focus of dozens of newspaper articles worldwide and oh yes, he’s also the principal guest conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra

TAFTO Contribution Drew McManus On WNYC

Mon, May 5, 2005
The good folks at WNYC’s Soundcheck came up with a great idea for participating in Take a Friend to Orchestra month.  From their website today: May is “Take a Friend to Orchestra Month,” a new initiative started by Drew McManus, author of the blog “Adaptistration” at Artsjournal.com, in order to bring newcomers to the concert

Off To Carnegie For My TAFTO Experience

Sat, May 5, 2005
I’m off to Carnegie Hall where I’ll be meeting up with some new friends who will be experiencing their fist classical music concert.  Along for the experience is Brian Wise, WNYC’s Soundcheck producer, and the group will be listening to an all Bartok concert performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra will be led
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