Shop Talk Is (Finally) Coming Back
Wed, Jul 7, 2020
by Drew McManus
Only 16 months after the first (and only) episode, the Shop Talk video podcast series is finally coming back. Compared to the time between Game Of Thrones seasons, it’s not really all that bad of a wait. I have guests and topics compiled but now that we’re neck deep in the era of COVID, I’m
A Scientist Turned Musician On The Need For Expertise In The COVID-Era
Tue, Jul 7, 2020
by Drew McManus
Over the weekend, Jason Haaheim, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra Principal Timpanist, published a thought-provoking piece at his blog about the necessity of expertise in the age of COVID. The post covers a lot of ground and weaves in and out of direct connectivity to the nonprofit performing arts field but, on this topic, it’s decidedly a
State Of Employment Poll & Review July 20 – July 26
Mon, Jul 7, 2020
by Drew McManus
We saw an uptick in the number of responses this week thanks in large part to a 28 percent increase in respondents identifying as arts administrators. Having said that, the overall trajectory for each stakeholder group remains mostly unchanged as most continue moving toward higher ratios of under-employed and unemployed statuses, Weekly Report Responses from
Time For The Second Course: Post-COVID Curtain Speeches
Thu, Jul 7, 2020
by Drew McManus
Tuesday’s post turned into an expanded conversation on my Facebook wall and while some of the discussion tilted toward the overall “like/dislike” perspective of curtain speeches, the rest of the discussion focused on how those speeches should unfold during post-COVID events. A number of orchestra execs weighed in on the conversation as did my blogging
Turn Portrait Images Into Landscape
Wed, Jul 7, 2020
by Drew McManus
Over the weekend, I posted the following rant about portfolio aspect ratio images on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theorchestrainsider/posts/10158048811978800 Given that it’s always a good thing to balance a rant with something productive on the same topic, I decided to create a free Photoshop template that provides one method for converting a portrait image to landscape. There’s an
Food For Thought: Post-COVID Curtain Speeches
Tue, Jul 7, 2020
by Drew McManus
I want to toss out a short academic exercise in the form of thinking about how the ubiquitous curtain speech will fit into post-COVID concerts. Even before the shutdowns, curtain speeches were pushing the envelope of ticket buyer patience and starting to have a negative impact on the overall concert experience. At the same time,
State Of Employment Poll & Review July 13 – July 19
Mon, Jul 7, 2020
by Drew McManus
Results remained steady this week and while there were no major changes in employment status, that doesn’t change the fact that according to respondents, it’s clear that orchestra staffers and musicians continue to move toward higher ratios of under-employed and unemployed statuses. Weekly Report Administrators continued to experience continued movement in existing directions. There was
Top-Tier Musician Compensation For 2020 Is Skipping A Season
Thu, Jul 7, 2020
by Drew McManus
Each year, we take some time to examine base musician compensation levels at the top eight highest paying orchestras. But thanks to the impact COVID-19 is having on orchestra collective bargaining agreements (CBA), we’ll need to postpone this installment a year. Unlike executive, music director, and concertmaster figures examined in the annual compensation reports, these
Growing Discord In Indianapolis
Wed, Jul 7, 2020
by Drew McManus
At the end of June, we examined growing labor tensions at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) over what the musicians described as unnecessarily aggressive negotiations over back pay, benefits, and media agreement terms. Since then, I managed to have a conversation with the ISO’s CEO James Johnson. Media Agreement According to a press statement from the musicians,
Retrenchment