Reader Response: essays on orchestra leadership

In response to the essays on orchestra leadership (located in the right hand column on the Adaptistration page), violist Robert Levine writes: Most of what your wrote about musicians is accurate. I’ve found it’s hard for someone not actually in an orchestra to fully understand the psychology. My father is a noted researcher in the field of stress, and he and I wrote an article on the subject a few years …

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The captain always goes down with the ship right?

I was relieved to hear the recent news that the San Antonio Symphony is going to get back to the business of making music. When reading about the news in the San Antonio Express I noticed that the players would not be paid for the entire 2003-2004 season and receive no benefits. Their new salary will be reduced about 30%, from $33,150 down to $23,400 annually, with decreased benefits. Then I …

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Oversight

The recent problems within the American Federation of Musicians regarding the accusations against Enex Steele of embezzling funds from the Sound Recording Special Payments Fund has caused me to stop and think. At first, I was upset that an organization dedicated to protecting musicians interests against abusive management practices was employing a manager who was allegedly abusing said musicnians. However, after reading the statements released from the AFM ( http://www.afm.org/public/press/press_10-14-03.php and http://www.afm.org/public/press/spf1014.pdf ) it appears that their oversight procedure was doing exactly what it was designed to do. This is good and bad.

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The trouble with arts administration degrees

In conjunction with the redear response below, I felt it was time to post this blog about Arts Adminstration Degrees.  Simply put, arts administration degrees are too vague and don’t spend enough time focusing on the unique attributes of managing a particular medium of art. Each branch of art (music, visual, dance, drama, and writing) is unique in its own way, and to fully understand the creative process behind that art …

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I Go To The Symphony For Their Executive Director?

I have to take a moment and rant about something. When did it become popular to have a biography or message from the orchestra executive director? Not just a listing in a staff directory, but a dedicated biography.  I went to the following orchestra web sites: Richmond Symphony, Rockford Symphony, Green Bay Symphony, and Chattanooga Symphony. They all have biographies about their executive directors but absolutely no information about any of the orchestra musicians (with the exception of the Rockford Symphony, which provides a biography of the concertmaster).

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