During a recent concert intermission, I struck up a conversation with an orchestra patron newbie. I always enjoy talking to patrons about their experiences and observations and this conversation was no exception, save for one small question. Toward the end of our talk he asked a question about the musicians: “So what do these guys

 Well after being away from the computer for a few days, I’m glad to be back. Stay tuned because after I get caught back up, we’ll discuss accountability, salary issues, finding a new audience, continue earlier discussions about education, and more from reader responses.  In the meantime, there is some great content in the October

More than half of the ROPA and ICSOM orchestras in this country employ a music director that does not reside in the community where the orchestra performs. Although that may strike you as staggering statistic, it has been the norm for over a decade. Part of the trouble is that the role of the music

I was pleased to see the well-written response on Andrew’s page with regard to my earlier blog about artistic administration programs. Having been an avid reader of Andrew’s blog for some time now, I agree with his statement “One frustration is that I tend to agree with Drew that there are problems with the way

  No, this isn’t a blog about who’s in charge; rather, it’s a blog about lack of communication.  This lack of communication is centered on uniforms .  Here’s the firsthand account of a situation from a female member of a notable Northeast orchestra whose name rhymes with "Muffalo": The management decided that it would institute

First off, let me thank everyone for the large volume of email I’ve received regarding the Pandering to Grants blog. Please keep in mind that I do wish to use your comments in these Reader Responses, so let me know if I have your permission to do just that when you take the time to

I’m beginning to hear a regular complaint from orchestra patrons; they’re sick and tired of receiving persistent letters, emails, and phone calls from their local orchestras asking for donations. Here’s a few quotes from some orchestra patrons: “Why should I give more money? I already gave them money, why don’t they learn how to use

I was having a conversation with one of my adult piano students today. We were talking about the current situation that exists in many orchestras and what may lie ahead for their future. Toward the end of the conversation she asked, “who really owns the orchestra”. Good question. My belief is that the orchestra is

So why are orchestras having such a financially difficult time right now? We hear the typical explanation from orchestra administrators quite often: The shrinking stock market has reduced endowment income. Severe reductions in corporate, and individual donations. The shrinking economy. Deteriorating ticket sales. At first sight, these all seem like reasonable descriptions behind the problem,

A recent article by Greg Gittrich from the New York Daily News does a wonderful job detailing an all too common problem with a course of action undertaken by orchestra management: pandering to grant money. The article outlines how a $330,000 grant for the Brooklyn Philharmonic to study whether city school kids benefit from regular