Time To Lighten Up
Wed, May 5, 2019
by Drew McManus
After a few days of heavy-duty posts, it’s time to lighten the mood a bit, and what better way than visiting some of the latest tweets from two of my favorite cathartic watering holes. Can we just change the mission statement of the orchestra to: "continuing the tradition of playing white male composers for decades
A Quick Follow-Up On The Chicago Symphony Settlement And Substitute Parity
Tue, Apr 4, 2019
by Drew McManus
One item that remains unclear in the new Chicago Symphony Orchestra agreement is whether the new fiver-year contract modified any of the terms related to substitute musician compensation. I’ve been communicating with both the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association (CSOA) and the musicians and so far, have received mildly differing accounts. According to CSOA Communications and Public
Here Are The Chicago Symphony Settlement Details You’re Looking For
Mon, Apr 4, 2019
by Drew McManus
On Saturday, 4/27/2019 the board of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association (CSOA) and the CSO musicians ratified a new five-year collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The deal was reached shortly after outgoing Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel became directly involved. Let’s take a close look at the new terms to see what each stakeholder managed to secure.
Give ‘Em What They Really Want: How To Create An Effective Artist Press Kit
Fri, Apr 4, 2019
by Drew McManus
Recently, my company updated my wife’s professional artist website: HollyMulcahy.com. A large part of that project was updating all her press kit information. Previously, all the typical press kit content, such as bios and pics, was available via direct download from her site. But times have changed and there are better ways to go about
Off To Chattanooga For The Rose Of Sonora World Premiere
Thu, Apr 4, 2019
by Drew McManus
I’m in Chattanooga today for the world premiere of The Rose of Sonora, a violin concerto in five scenes. Written by composer George S. Clinton, I published an in-depth profile of the work back in March about how he and the concerto’s soloist, Holly Mulcahy, brought the concerto to life. If you’re in the Chattanooga
The Pitfalls Of Hyperbole During Contentious Work Stoppages
Wed, Apr 4, 2019
by Drew McManus
The longer work stoppages continue, the hotter passions run. It’s a truism that not even the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) strike is exempt. As the CSO work stoppage approaches its second month, tempers are burning hotter than ever. When that happens, it isn’t uncommon to see stakeholders speak first, think later. To that end, one
More Cancellations While Negotiations Fail To Produce Deal In Chicago
Tue, Apr 4, 2019
by Drew McManus
On 4/18/2019, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association (CSOA) pulled the trigger on its latest round of cancellations. The result was the rest of April 2019 going by the wayside. In addition to recitals and Civic Orchestra cancellations, subscriptions concerts on April 25, 26, and 27 were cancelled. The most recent negotiations prior to those cancellations
Food For Thought: Website Accessibility Driven Lawsuits
Mon, Apr 4, 2019
by Drew McManus
The 4/19/2019 edition of artsy.net published an article by Claire Voon that reports on a pair of lawsuits filed separated by two legally blind plaintiffs against dozens of New York City art galleries that their websites allegedly violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). As the article points out, issues of websites and accessibility via
Your Post-Net Neutrality Action Plan, In Google Slide Deck Form
Fri, Apr 4, 2019
by Drew McManus
My thanks to the folks from Arts Alliance Illinois for inviting me to participate in yesterday’s webinar on Arts and Technology. My portion of the webinar covered a post-net neutrality action plan and I wanted to take a moment to share the Google Slide Deck with everyone. Like most of my slide decks, this includes
Negotiating Yourself Into A Corner