Seinfeld Was Onto Something
Thu, Sep 9, 2008
by Drew McManus
There’s something to be said for the Jerry Seinfeld model of leaving at the top of your game and yesterday’s announcement from the Seattle Symphony Orchestra (SSO) that music director Gerard Schwarz will step down after the 2010/11 season prompted quite a few email messages which referenced the Seinfeld model. However, given the lightning rod
You Say Tomato…
Wed, Sep 9, 2008
by Drew McManus
Yesterday, I received two orchestra press releases, both of which referred to their music director in the subheading as a "beloved" figure. "Beloved," really? The use of this particular adjective in the context of each PR (announcing the respective orchestra’s upcoming regional tour) projected an entirely self-serving image. Granted, writing creative PR copy can become
A Marketing Professional’s Dream
Tue, Sep 9, 2008
by Drew McManus
The story is a shorter, modern day real-life Red Violin: a confirmed Stradivarius more or less fades from public attention for 40 years only to resurface in a bank vault practically across the street from a major symphony orchestra. This is precisely the case with the Lipinski Stradivarius violin and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (MSO) concertmaster,
New Inside The Arts Platform Is Now Active
Mon, Sep 9, 2008
by Drew McManus
I am very excited to announce that the first blog of the planned InsideTheArts.com platform upgrade is now active. Jason Heath’s Arts Addict is the first to sport the new look. In addition to a redesigned interface, the new platform offers vastly improved functionality and all sorts of goodies for users, many of which will
Quick Cash Dilemma In Honolulu
Fri, Sep 9, 2008
by Drew McManus
It is tough to ignore things that happen in threes and that is exactly the case this week with the Honolulu Symphony. First, Joe Patti posted an article about recent events, the Honolulu Weekly posted an article about the orchestra’s recent financial troubles amidst optimistic artistic gals, and then the orchestra musicians distributed a special
Prelude To The Annual Orchestra Website Review
Thu, Sep 9, 2008
by Drew McManus
As mentioned last month, the annual Orchestra Website Review is taking place a few weeks later than normal this year but the upside is it provides a bit more time to prepare, which is a good thing because a cursory review of many websites indicates that quite a few changes have taken place since last
Is It Possible To Bump Into An Orchestra In An Airport?
Wed, Sep 9, 2008
by Drew McManus
Yep, it is. In fact, I bumped into the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Amsterdam International Airport on my way home from Area-51. Fortunately, I had the laptop handy and the mind to record a little something…
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
