Drew McManus on the Orchestra business | est. 2003

2017/18 Season Is Now Available At The Orchestra 990 Download Library

Tue, Jul 7, 2020
Today’s a good day because all the 2017-2018 season files have been processed and added to the  downloadable Orchestra 990s at the Adaptistration Store. This brings the total number of seasons up to 19. A big thank you to everyone who has already purchased copies and keep in mind, the more you buy, the less it costs thanks

State Of Employment Poll & Review July 6 – July 12

Mon, Jul 7, 2020
After collecting three full months of data, it’s clear that orchestra staffers and musicians continue to move toward higher ratios of under-employed and unemployed statuses. 35 percent of these stakeholders are some form of unemployed status or have unpaid cancellations. 50 percent indicated they are working, but at some form of underemployed status, while only

2020 Orchestra Compensation Reports: The Big Picture

Fri, Jul 7, 2020
Each year, one of the most popular items in the orchestra compensation reports is a big picture overview of all compensation alongside Total Expenditure figures. If you’ve been looking for something that shows all the report values in a single chart, this is your article. Did you know? Direct links to most of the orchestra’s financial

2020 Orchestra Compensation Reports: Concertmasters

Thu, Jul 7, 2020
For the third year in a row, the 2017/18 season produced a positive gain in the average concertmaster’s compensation level. Having said that, and not counting years with negative growth, this was the third smallest average increase since the 99/00 season. The Information In order to provide information that is as accurate as possible, info from the

2020 Orchestra Compensation Reports: Music Directors

Wed, Jul 7, 2020
If you were a music director during the 2017/18 season, there’s a good chance you had six hundred and forty-five thousand or so good reasons to say it was an exceptional year. One conductor managed to have more than three million good reasons. The Information In order to provide information that is as accurate as possible,

2020 Orchestra Compensation Reports: Executives

Tue, Jun 6, 2020
When it comes to executive compensation, the 2017/18 season saw a sharp uptick in skewed averages since we started tracking numbers thanks to an all-time high number of CEO vacancies and interim appointments. These occurred across the entire budget spectrum but most notably, three of the usual suspects in the Top 10 earners were between

State Of Employment Poll & Review June 29 – July 5

Mon, Jun 6, 2020
It may be Orchestra Compensation Reports week but that doesn’t mean we’re taking a break from tracking the employment status of orchestra administrators and musicians. Weekly Report Administrators continued to experience steady response ratios. Only a third indicate working or being paid at their regular full time or pat time status while the other third

2020 Orchestra Compensation Reports: Introduction

Mon, Jun 6, 2020
As is the case with every annual orchestra compensation report, the most important element to keep in mind is these figures encompass the 2017/18 season and not the current season. Although it isn’t unusual to expect that the most recent figures available would cover the previous season, that’s not how things work thanks to these reasons: Most

Indianapolis Symphony Terminates Health Care Coverage

Fri, Jun 6, 2020
Like many orchestras, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) engaged austerity measures at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. It began with furloughs in March, but musicians and staffers were able to come back to work at reduced pay in April following a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. The PPP funds lasted for several weeks but

Some Early Thoughts On Indianapolis

Thu, Jun 6, 2020
Originally, the plan for today’s post was to take a closer look at the growing labor dispute brewing at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO). On Monday, the ISO musicians issued a press statement that asserted the employer informed them they will not only extend the existing furlough but cut off health insurance. I reached out
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