Remember When Using Twitter Was Fun And Easy?
Fri, Jun 6, 2013
by Drew McManus
Recently, Twitter released the latest update to its API (application programming interface) and completely cleared out support for the previous version. An API is a programming language that allows two different applications to interface with each other, such as displaying a list of your Tweets at a website. Since then, what was once a simple
Minnesota Gets Grumpy Over Departure Figures
Thu, Jun 6, 2013
by Drew McManus
The 6/11/2013 edition of MinnPost.com published a letter by Minnesota Orchestra Association (MOA) Director of Human Resources, Esther Saarela, where the author takes issue with the notion of artistic brain drain within the organization. Officially, Saarela is responding to a letter from the previous day written by an audience association leader that cites data provided by
What If You’re Not As Awesome As You Think?
Wed, Jun 6, 2013
by Drew McManus
Among the 29th Annual Conductors Guild Conference sessions, one that stuck out in particular was the Auditioning Players panel discussion featuring musicians from the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) talking about how to audition musicians, what to listen for, best practices, challenges and solutions to common issues, etc. Anecdotally, the SLSO is genuinely known for
Loving A Cello Shouldn’t Be This Rough
Mon, Jun 6, 2013
by Drew McManus
There’s a wonderfully clever short film making the rounds by cellist Nicholas Canellakis titled the musician’s breakup that reinforces the bond between musician and instrument that’s different than the usual take by taking more of an anthropomorphic approach that is both humorous and touching. It’s well worth your time.
Are You In St. Louis This Weekend?
Sat, Jun 6, 2013
by Drew McManus
I’ll be at the 29th Annual Conductors Guild Conference from Saturday, 6/15/13 through Monday, 6/17/2013 serving as a mentor so if you’re in the area and would like to touch base, feel free to get in touch via the following info. Likewise, if you’re a Guild member, don;t miss the special conference discount for new
Nashville Gets Some Big Sponsorship Love
Fri, Jun 6, 2013
by Drew McManus
For an orchestra that Bank of America (BoA) deemed so unsustainable that it decided to foreclosure on its primary venue, the Nashville Symphony Orchestra (NSO) still manages to secure large corporate sponsors for their flagship concert series. On 6/13/2013, the NSO announced that Aegis Sciences Corporation has sponsored the orchestra’s 2013/14 Classical Concert series to
Heading To St. Louis
Thu, Jun 6, 2013
by Drew McManus
I’m off to the 29th Annual Conductors Guild Conference, I’ll be there from Saturday, 6/15/13 through Monday, 6/17/2013 serving as a mentor for one-on-one sessions with conference attendees. I’ll be available to discuss the finer points of career development, starting and managing your own ensemble, networking, and more. If you’re attending the conference, you can
Some Initial Thoughts On Nashville
Wed, Jun 6, 2013
by Drew McManus
I’ve been deliberately holding off writing anything about the real-time game of chicken going on between the Nashville Symphony Orchestra (NSO) and Bank of America over the latter’s decision to foreclose on the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in order to see if the situation resolved itself. But since that didn’t happen over the weekend, it is
Krystian Zimerman Will Have Bigger Things To Worry About
Tue, Jun 6, 2013
by Drew McManus
Last week’s post about the uproar surrounding pianist Krystian Zimerman’s decision to cut a recital short because he spotted a patron allegedly recording the performance with a Smartphone generated some terrific feedback from readers. In particular, readers focused on issues surrounding copyright infringement and patron interaction. First up, was a comment from reader Rochelle Skolnick
Charges Of Financial Irregularities At Symphony Of The Americas
Mon, Jun 6, 2013
by Drew McManus
When joining the board of a nonprofit performing arts organization, most folks don’t assume the job will include a political battle fought in the public arena for doing nothing more than acting as a steward of public trust. But according to a report in the 6/4/2013 edition of WPLG’s Local10.com by Bob Norman, that appears
