Drew McManus on the orchestra business.
While it should come as no surprise that we won’t know who won the presidential election this evening, that doesn’t mean you have to sit on pins and needles all night. There’s an excellent article at fivethirtyeight.com that provides a clear schedule on when you can expect election updates for each state. And while the presidential election may not be decided, there’s a higher degree of likelihood to know who ends …
At the beginning of last month, labor relations at the Colorado Springs Philharmonic (CSPhil) were on the brink of all out war. After publishing feedback from employer and musician representatives, the orchestra’s president and CEO, Nathan Newbrough, wrote to say he thought things were moving in a positive direction. While that’s a good sign, follow-up messages asking for details and whether the board has discussed the potential for offering work to …
I was planning to publish an update on the Colorado Springs Philharmonic labor dispute today but time got away, but it will go up Monday. In the interim, I can across the following satirical tweet from @OrchestraSay that’s so black, it may well qualify as a quantum singularity. Oprah's handing out new CBAs to ICSOM orchestras!! YOU GET A PER-SERVICE ORCHESTRA!! YOOU GET A PER-SERVICE ORCHESTRA!!!!AND YOOOOOOOOU GET A PER-SERVICE ORCHESTRA!!!!!! …
The more a work can reflect society from the time it was written and provoke thoughtful contemplation, the better. If the musicality and topic keep the piece on my mind for more than a week after hearing it, that’s a win. The more polarizing current events are, the more potential exists for a work to emerge that is capable of inspiring meaningful actions. If you subscribe to a similar outlook, then …
The 10/26/2020 edition of the Seattle Times published an article by Melinda Bargreen that reports the Seattle Chamber Music Society (SCMS) is discovering their 2020 Virtual Summer Festival produced positive results. While SCMS doesn’t appear to have released any financial data, you can still see the results are encouraging: 389 new ticket purchasers which comprised 32 percent of all ticket sales. 92 first-time donors. Thanks to being free of max seat …