Drew McManus on the Orchestra business | est. 2003

Why Are Executive So Keen On Breaking HR Rules?

Thu, May 5, 2016
Adaptistration People 076
It seems as though hardly a year passes that doesn’t have one or more incidents that give HR professionals heartburn. The latest is a whale among the minnows in light of news that recently departed Lincoln Center (LC) president, Jed Bernstein, left as the result of what the organization described as a “[violation of] Lincoln

Workplace Satisfaction Among Opera Organizations

Wed, May 5, 2016
Adaptistration People 023
As promised at the conclusion of yesterday’s post examining workplace satisfaction among symphony orchestra institutions, today’s installment will take a look at opera employers. #Winning #Again Although there wasn’t as large of an uptick in opera organizations as compared to their symphonic orchestra peers, the number of groups with at least one review within the

Checking In With The Movement To Improve Workplace Satisfaction

Tue, May 5, 2016
Adaptistration People 094
That last time we examined the value of improving workplace satisfaction within the orchestra field via grassroots efforts, we saw some improvement. Six months later, it is time to see where things are related to your efforts on increasing the quantity and frequency of reviews from arts administrators and staffers about their respective institutions at GlassDoor.com.

Toronto Symphony Appears To Be Stuck In Former CEO’s Legal Splash Zone

Mon, May 5, 2016
Splash Zone
Toward the end of March, 2016 we examined the nasty PR mess the Toronto Symphony Orchestras (TSO) has been caught up in by way of the very public annulment legal battle between former president and CEO, Jeff Melanson, and his estranged wife, Eleanor McCain. Melanson, who departed his position after 16 months on the job, recently launched

Too Metal To Miss

Fri, Apr 4, 2016
Brutal
I know, we had a video post earlier in the week and doing two in the same week is decidedly outside the norm for Adaptistration but this one was too good not to blog about. First and foremost, it helps to frame the discussion by saying that I am a fan of good heavy metal

Improved Marketing In An Environment Of Utter Chaos

Thu, Apr 4, 2016
Adaptistration People 197
Among the most valuable responses that come in each year from the reader segmentation are the topics readers would like to see more of in the coming year. My favorite from the most recent bunch simply said “improved marketing in an environment of utter chaos” (I edited out a colorful adjective, you can have fun

Do You Know About The Ten Point Test For Determining If A Worker Is An Employee Or Independent Contractor?

Wed, Apr 4, 2016
Adaptistration People 157
Pop quiz: do smaller budget orchestras classify musicians as employees or independent contractors? Regardless how you answered, you’re both right and wrong. But that question is beginning to move toward something more straightforward following a recent decision by the District of Columbia Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals to uphold a ruling by the

It’s Only Tuesday, So Why Does It Feel Like Friday?

Tue, Apr 4, 2016
Adaptistration People 042
We usually save fun posts for the end of the week but for whatever reason, it feels like the end of the week and that’s good enough for me. First up is a video from the Berlin Philharmonic horn section, playing he Hunting Chorus from Freischütz* inside a cable car. On the surface, that would seem

The Moment You Realized You Weren’t Going To Win A Job

Mon, Apr 4, 2016
Adaptistration People 143
What a treat to talk shop with Andrew Hitz from The Entrepreneurial Musician podcast. We managed to cover a great deal of ground thanks to the luxury of time Hitz dedicates to each production; working with professionals who care enough about production values and have genuine hosting skills to never gets old. One unique component of

The Latest Example Demonstrating Why You Need An Effective Government Affairs Committee

Fri, Apr 4, 2016
The New Haven Independent published an article by Paul Bass on 4/20/2016 which reports that the New Haven Symphony (NHS) may lose its primary venue, Yale University’s Woolsey Hall, where the orchestra has performed for 114 years (not a typo). According to the article, the NHS is being used as a pawn in a larger
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