Drew McManus on the Orchestra business | est. 2003

Quid Pro “No”

Wed, Sep 9, 2010
On 9/27/2010 the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) musicians published a statement at their website offering up speculation on why conductor JoAnn Faletta withdrew from conducting their self produced concerts on 10/3/2010 and 10/10/2010. According to the musicians, Faletta had “graciously agreed to conduct…donating her services during their labor dispute with management” but shortly thereafter Columbia

Mehta Leaving New York Philharmonic in 2012

Tue, Sep 9, 2010
Not long ago, the Managing Director of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Bill Mason, announced he would be stepping down at the end of the 2001/12 season. In a similar move, New York Philharmonic President and Executive Director, Zarin Mehta, announced (pdf) he will be leaving his position at the same time. All in all,

Where Things Stand In Detroit

Mon, Sep 9, 2010
As last ditch, multi-mediator facilitated bargaining sessions between the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) and their musicians failed to produce a settlement over the weekend, the organization crossed the first major benchmark in contentious labor disputes. In this case, DSO management decided to abandon play and talk bargaining in favor of implementing their last, best, and

Friday Poll: Workplace Satisfaction

Fri, Sep 9, 2010
Adaptistration People 006
Last Wednesday’s article about workplace satisfaction generated an enormous amount of direct reader email. Clearly, this is an issue which those in the field feel strongly about but for whatever reason, there’s an equally strong trend to share those thoughts privately. But that doesn’t mean we can’t conduct some casual polls to get a better

Off To Dallas

Thu, Sep 9, 2010
Adaptistration People 152
I’m in Dallas today for some HEARTbeats Foundation related work and while here, I’ll be attending the Dallas Symphony’s Beethoven Triple Concerto concert featuring Chee-Yun, Lynn Harrell, and Anne-Marie McDermott. The concert will be conducted by Jaap van Zweden and this will be the first time I’ve heard him conduct the Dallas symphony, so it

The Best Orchestras To Work For

Wed, Sep 9, 2010
Adaptistration People 039
I’d like to tell you which orchestras are the best groups for managers and musicians to work for. I’d like to tell you all about benchmarks for orchestral employee satisfaction. I’d like to tell you which orchestras experience the highest levels of employee loyalty and commitment. I’d like to tell you which orchestras have the

So Many Comments About Detroit

Tue, Sep 9, 2010
I know, I know, I keep promising my big post but something keeps popping up that catches my interest that I want to post about first. Perhaps it’s some new form of Blogging Adult ADD (BAADD?). Regardless, the first item I want to point out are a pair of articles over at Sticks and Drones

Looking Beyond The Numbers In Detroit

Mon, Sep 9, 2010
The 9/19/2010 edition of The Detroit Free Press published an article by Mark Stryker that dives into the non-monetary issues Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) labor dispute. It is good to see an article of this length focus on work rule oriented items, doubly so given the depth and magnitude of the changes being proposed…

I Hear Dallas and LA Calling

Fri, Sep 9, 2010
It looks like I may be off next week on another business trip, this time to Dallas and again to Los Angeles. As such, I’m a little behind on planned blogging topics, most notably the heavy piece I alluded to last week. The good news is I’ve sketched it out and I have time set

He’s Making A List And Checking It Twice

Thu, Sep 9, 2010
This is the one and only head’s up reminding organizations included in the Annual Orchestra Website Review that the official review period starts soon. Organizations can brush up on precise evaluation criteria with a subscription to Adaptistration Premium and even though the review order has yet to be determined, that doesn’t mean it is too
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