Adaptistration – Page 917 – Drew McManus on the orchestra business.

Sex, Drugs, And Classical Music?

Monday, September 27th, 2004 by Drew McManus

A few weeks ago I published an article at The Partial Observer about some of the ways classical music uses sex to sell itself. This week I’m following up on that idea by discussing the growing drug use debate (no, not that kind of drug use). The article, Performance Enhancing Drugs for Musicians?, will be available after 9:30AM EST. Today I’m off to Eastman and when I return we’ll see how …

Concert Companion or ORBIT Part 1

Thursday, September 23rd, 2004 by Drew McManus

Facebook LinkedIn Email Copy Print

It’s time for an exercise in thinking like an orchestra manager. Here’s the setup:

Your orchestra is loosing its audience and you’re considering the benefits of using a technology based product to help build it back up again.
Like all orchestras your marketing dollars are limited and the man-hours you can use for writing grant proposals are at their limits.
You hear about two new technology based audience development initiatives, each in initial stages of deployment but having a certain amount of promise.
One option has received some positive national media attention in a prominent New York City newspaper (and a little bad press too) but the other option is already up running on a regular basis with a few orchestras.
Read more

Facebook LinkedIn Email Copy Print

Keeping Their Heads Above Water

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2004 by Drew McManus

There’s been a great deal of national attention devoted to contract negotiations and musician salary these past several weeks – from this column and many others across the country. And the majority of those discussions focus on how much players earn in the “Big 5” as well as examining other types of benchmarks used to differentiate an international orchestra from a regional ensemble. Fellow AJ blogger, Greg Sandow touched on both …

The Realities of Orchestral Life

Tuesday, September 21st, 2004 by Drew McManus

Facebook LinkedIn Email Copy Print

Next Monday, September 27th I have the honor of serving as a guest speaker at the Eastman School of Music’s Institute for Music Leadership. The class, taught by Professor Ray Ricker, is titled "The Realities of Orchestral Life" and explores changing attitudes and the ways musicians can become more pro-active in shaping their workplace; my topic for that evening’s class is "Negotiating Your Future".

Facebook LinkedIn Email Copy Print

Play And Talk In Philadelphia

Monday, September 20th, 2004 by Drew McManus

Shortly after midnight on 9/20/04 the negotiating teams for The Philadelphia Orchestra Association and the American Federation of Musicians, Local 77, jointly issued the following statement: The negotiating teams for The Philadelphia Orchestra Association and the American Federation of Musicians, Local 77, have been working for many months in an effort to negotiate a new agreement. The Musicians’ negotiating team has been creative in suggesting ideas to generate additional revenue and …