Drew McManus on the orchestra business.
Veteran music critic and cultural reporter Tim Smith published an article at his personal blog on 7/29/2019 that examined the conspicuous silence from Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) music director Marin Alsop when it comes to the summer season squashing, gala gouging lockout. I think there’s one person who can cause a major shift in the BSO’s fate, the one person who stands to lose a heckuva lot (not just a hefty …
The recent Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) strike is an excellent example of something that demonstrates how much the work stoppage PR landscape has shifted over the past decade. For example, one of the strongest musician talking points is the deleterious impact concessions have on an orchestra’s ability to attract and retain the very best artistic talent. This was a cornerstone of the CSO musician position: If the employer does away with …
The 3/5/2018 edition of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution published an article by Bo Emerson that reports the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) and its musicians recently ratified a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) through the 2020/21 season. While a copy of the CBA has yet to be released, the AJC article reports the organization will return to “full strength” by the end of the term. The real question there is which benchmark is …
The 7/16/2015 edition of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution published an article by Howard Prousner that reports on some good news for the beleaguered Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) in the form of an undisclosed six figure surplus for the 2014/15 season that started off with a nine week lockout. Though final fiscal 2015 figures will not be known until later this summer when financial records are complete for the Woodruff Arts Center — …
Just as things were beginning to look especially dark, the Woodruff Arts Center (WAC) and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Players’ Association (ASOPA) managed to reach an agreement on terms for a new four year collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that officially brings an end to the nine week lockout that silenced the orchestra’s 70th anniversary season. Terms were finalized on Thursday, 11/6/2014 while the employer and employees officially ratified the CBA over …