Dead Cat Bounce

Adaptistration People 013

For those unfamiliar with the expression “Dead Cat Bounce,” it comes from the world of finance as a way to describe “a temporary recovery from a prolonged decline or bear market, after which the market continues to fall (source)” – even a dead cat will bounce if dropped from high enough. This phrase came to mind after reading an article by Jeffrey Sheban in the 3/5/2010 edition of the Columbus Dispatch …

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A Much Needed Class Act

The 3/19/2009 edition of the Columbus Dispatch, reports that piano soloist Emmanuel Ax is waiving his fee for this weekend’s performances with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO). Regular readers (and everyone else in the business not living under a rock for the past season) know all about the CSO’s troubles so Ax’s generosity, which was reportedly his offer, demonstrates the right attitude at the right time. I wish the same were true of all soloists across the board…

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Help Wanted: Conductor Yes Man

Recently, conductor Bill Eddins commented on the decision by the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO) to dismiss music director, Junichi Hirokami for what he described as ‘[looking] around, saw a bad situation, and spoke out on behalf of the organization and, most importantly, the welfare of his musicians. The response: ‘Sayonara, Junichi!'” Bill couldn’t be more correct in his analysis and I wanted to examine this situation from another perspective…

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Breaking News: Hirokami “Departs” Columbus Symphony

The Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO) released a statement today announcing what was described as  the “departure” of Junichi Hirokami as the organization’s music director. It is not yet clear if Junichi resigned for the position of if he was dismissed by the CSO board, however, based on a comment from CSO board chair, Martin Inglis, it looks as though the decision came from within the organization, “…as we move forward into the new season, we have agreed with Mr. Hirokami that we will do so under the leadership of a new Music Director,” said Inglis. “And we are currently in the process of recruiting a new Music Director for the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.”
UPDATE 4:25PM CT: According to a letter from Hirokami, he was dismissed by the CSO board…

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Don’t Let The Door Hit Your Ass On The Way Out

The 9/28/08 edition of the Columbus Dispatch published another article about the post-agreement environment within the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and yet again, certain members of the CSO leadership demonstrated they still suffer from foot-in-mouth disease…

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