Thomas Cabaniss, Director of Education for the New York Philharmonic recently sent in his opinions regarding the OC findings on education programs as they relate to relevance in their communities. He had this to say:I read your article which centers on the Canadian report, and I agree with many of the tenets, but differ with

There is a big push among orchestra administrators to get musicians more involved within the inner workings of their orchestras. Although this isn’t a new idea, it is becoming more relevant, as we can observe from recent speeches by two of my favorite industry barometers: Michael Kaiser and Henry Fogel. In Mr. Kaiser’s recent address

Last April, our Canadian neighbors at Orchestra Canada established a program designed to identify common issues, challenges and successes among orchestras across Canada. All in all, it’s a very good report. I’m pleased by its candor at identifying the problems and deficiencies among its member orchestras. And unlike the type of “one-sided and guarded discussions

Imagine John Smith: He earns $50,000 year He makes another $10,000 a year from stock dividends For the last 15 years he’s always received a raise He has a $275,000 mortgage He has $70,000 in auto loans He has a kid in college for at least another three years. He lives month to month He

In the October 2003 issue of Senza Sordino, an ICSOM newsletter, is a complete transcript of an address by Michael Kaiser to those in attendance at the annual ICSOM conference. For those who are unaware, Mr. Kaiser is the president of the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and just about as big of a dog

“In order to attract quality administrators we need to offer them comparable salaries with their counterparts in the for-profit industry” I hear this all the time from industry experts, executive recruiters, and (most dangerously) board members. But frankly it’s just a bunch of spin. Well not entirely, but mostly. Here’s why it isn’t spin Board

I came across this wonderful article by Bill Duryea from the Nov 30, 2003 edition of the St. Petersburg Times entitled What they do for love.  After reading this story, it’s hard to imagine that anyone could be responsible for running an orchestra without understanding what it is to be a musician.

I recently finished reading Walking in Two Worlds: A Librarian’s Perspective by Karen Schnackenberg, chief librarian for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. The article was published in the Symphony Orchestra Institute’s October, 2003 edition of “Harmony”. If they ever decide to legalize cloning I would suggest they start with Karen, as the orchestra world can certainly

I recently learned of a major development in the San Antonio Symphony situation. Steven Brosvik, recently resigned as the symphony Executive Director. The San Antonio Express ran a story in their Saturday, November 22nd edition. You can read the story here. A short time ago, I ran a blog that mentions Mr. Brosvik, which you

I recently received an eloquent letter from Frank in Alexandria, a reader that considers himself a “knowledgeable nonprofessional classical music activist” (I like that term). I believe he has some important insight to share:“In my judgment the factors underlying the maiaise with America’s magnificent classical music system were already identified long ago, one of the