It’s getting weird up there…
It is possible to say with assurance that something is happening in the Minnesota Orchestra labor war. Just what that something is, on the other hand… Yesterday there was a flurry of activity. First...
View ArticleAbout that New Republic article
It’s not surprising that a recent article by Philip Kennicott in the New Republic by the title of “America’s Orchestras are in Crisis” got some favorable play in the musician community. The writer, who...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Explorations of Teamwork: The Lahti Symphony Orchestra
My Editor’s Choice for this time around is a look-back to a 2002 article in Harmony by Tina Ward and Robert Wagner. In it they write about their experiences with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. It’s an...
View ArticleBought and paid for
The Minnesota Orchestra leadership released a “financial review” yesterday. Most of the coverage, though, focused on remarks made by MO board negotiating chair Richard Davis, who told the Star Tribune...
View ArticleClik here to view.
On Star Wars and the Baby Boomers
It was recently announced that John Williams will compose the music for Star Wars: Episode VII. This is great news for fans of his music all over the world, and it could be great news for smart...
View ArticleWhy not try negotiating? (with update)
It’s clear that crunch time is coming on the Northern Front (aka the Minnesota orchestra labor “negotiations”). The board has said that they’re willing to indefinitely delay the unveiling of their...
View ArticleNo good news from the Northern Front (with update)
Today is what most observers are assuming is the deadline for a settlement in Minnesota that will keep Osmo Vänskä and the November Carnegie concerts in the picture. It doesn’t appear that negotiations...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Paul Boulian: The Economic Reality of Orchestras
For this Editor’s Choice I decided to look back at some interviews we recorded in years past. There are some real gems here. The one I chose to feature this time around is a conversation between Paul...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bringing Down the Sky: From Great to Good in Minnesota
I. The Tornado and the Plow Horse I recently plugged the words “Salieri” and “Festival” into Google, which limped back with a meager Salieri Opera Festival of 2010, presented by Fondazione Fioroni in...
View ArticleOur conspiratorial industry
One of the more intriguing aspects to the psychology of our industry is a general propensity to conspiratorial thinking. It’s not hard to find amongst musicians; the widespread belief that the League...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Another missed opportunity
The great Israeli diplomat Abba Eba famously remarked, after the 1973 Geneva Peace Conference, that “the Arabs never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” The same could be said of the Board of...
View ArticleSomething you should read
Once a year or so I read something online that stops me in my tracks; not because it tells me something I didn’t know (which happens every 2 minutes or so), but because it forces me to think...
View ArticleMinnesota, toxic leadership, and Milgram
National Public Radio did a story yesterday that’s been picked up on Facebook by a number of Minnesota Orchestra musicians. I found it interesting in part because it also related directly to William...
View ArticleArmistice Day on the Northern Front
There’s been what intelligence analysts call “chatter” for a few weeks about a settlement in Minnesota being close. I heard some new chatter in the past couple of days, which led me to to set up a...
View ArticleBaumol’s common cold
Musicians who have had the privilege and pleasure (dubious, in some cases) of discussing the future of professional orchestras with experts of various stripes are all too familiar with Baumol’s Cost...
View ArticleThe Northern Front: Stunde Null
In the aftermath of the most devastating conflict in human history, the epicenter of that conflict, Germany, experienced in 1945 what the Germans called “Stunde Null” – zero hour. It was an expression...
View ArticleWhy you don’t want your orchestra’s name to start with “M”
First Minnesota, then Milwaukee, and now … Memphis: Following in the tumultuous footsteps of its Nashville counterpart, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra announced that it is facing a financial crisis...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Michael Kaiser’s Arts in Crisis Symposium
Michael Kaiser has been called “the turnaround king” because of his success with several arts organizations, including the Kansas City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Memphis Symphony Crisis Management
Michael Barar is a violist with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, and serves as their representative to ROPA. Exactly one week ago from the time I am writing this, the board of directors of the Memphis...
View ArticleClik here to view.
League Announces 2014 Conference Details
The League of American Orchestras has announced its 2014 Conference, which will take place in Seattle, June 4-6. The theme of the 2014 conference is “Critical Questions, Countless Solutions.” The...
View Article
