Ramadan Kareem
Mon, Sep 9, 2008
by Drew McManus
My last day in Area-51 provides just a taste of Ramadan before flying out this evening. Without a doubt, this has been an enormously fulfilling project and although the past five days have been jam packed with activity it has all been productive and worthwhile. The association’s board approved the proposed organizational model capable of
When Language Is Art
Thu, Aug 8, 2008
by Drew McManus
I’m in the home stretch of my Area-51 project; the big board presentation is tomorrow and the slide translations are complete. It is a shame I’m not able to share them with everyone in advance of the presentation as the native language for Area-51 is, from this American’s point of view, particularly elegant and categorically
But What If I Don’t Want To Buy Your Damn Music?!?
Wed, Aug 8, 2008
by Drew McManus
There’s a great article over at NewMusicBox by Jean Cook that examines her frustrations when dealing with the seemingly nonsensical way digital music providers handle classical music tracks. Undoubtedly, anyone who has spent much time dealing with iTunes and the lot would give Jean’s article a hearty "Amen!" but what I found really interesting were
Can PSO Maintain Status If Salaries Don’t Hit High Note?
Tue, Aug 8, 2008
by Drew McManus
Or so goes the headline for Andrew Druckenbrod’s article in the 8/22/08 edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. In the article, Andrew examines the current Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) collective bargaining agreement negotiations, the orchestra’s finances, and how well (or not so well) the organization has done keeping up base musician salary compared to its peers.
More National Anthem Nonsense At The Olympics
Mon, Aug 8, 2008
by Drew McManus
The 8/22/08 edition of the Washington Post published an article by the ever-sharp Philip Kennicott which reports on National Anthem nonsense at the Olympics. The 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece left the world scratching their heads when it came to arrangements for their respective national anthems. In the US, the majority of viewers shared a
Does Your Orchestra YouTube (again)?
Thu, Aug 8, 2008
by Drew McManus
A few years ago, before YouTube became a gravitational force strong enough to bend light, I posted a blog about orchestras showing up on YouTube. Back then there were less than a dozen search hits (none of which were posted with the orchestra’s permission) but if you do a search for "symphony orchestra" at YouTube
It Must Be In The Water
Wed, Aug 8, 2008
by Drew McManus
Just as I was working on the new platform for several of the Inside The Arts blogs, I get an email from the fine folks over at MusicalAmerica.com informing me they have refreshed the look of their site with a timely makeover. Additionally, there is a new culture blog, of which the content is free
Double It And Take Half Off
Tue, Aug 8, 2008
by Drew McManus
We’re rapidly approaching the deadline for the big presentation which will mark the end of my Area-51 project and even though putting together a PowerPoint presentation is always something of mixed blessing this project throws an interesting wrench into the process. In particular, what is the best way to construct dual language slides without overloading
Odds And Ends
Fri, Aug 8, 2008
by Drew McManus
Most of today is being spent working on the Inside The Arts platform migration so there isn’t much time to write. Given the rate things are going, most of the blogs should be moved over by the end of the month although Adaptistration will certainly be the last blog to move (simply because it is
Adaptistration Poll: Subscriptions
Thu, Aug 8, 2008
by Drew McManus
Following yesterday’s article about the Met’s recent subscription issue, a number of readers sent in private email messages expressing an opinion about the future of subscriptions and how they related to performing arts organizations (including several from ballet folks – thanks for reading!). As such, it would be intriguing to find out where readers fall
