Growing up in Denver it was easy to be fascinated with the history of the RMS Titanic; after all, Denver was home to the Unsinkable Molly Brown and her house is still a popular tourist attraction. And every couple of years I would get a tour of her house and a bit more of the history absorbed. But it was a random statement from my Ear Training professor during my Peabody Conservatory days that I first became interested in the Titanic musicians.
“Did you know that the families of the musicians who sank with the Titanic were sent bills for the missing uniforms?”
This was horrifying, of course, how could anybody be so cruel at such a mournful time. But since I have been out of the safety and security of conservatory for some time, I have found that history lesson to be one of the most sobering, if not useful, things I learned at school.
As I watch orchestras around the country toy with the ideas of reducing, replacing, and reorganizing I can’t help but think of the bad leadership decisions that White Star Line’s managing director, Bruce Ismay endorsed.
Two years ago I wrote an article about the RMS Titanic musicians along with Ismay’s part in the tragedy. And since this weekend marks the 100 year anniversary of the tragedy, I thought it only appropriate to post a notice over to that article to honor the memory of the musicians, crew, and passengers in addition to serving as a gentle reminder that only we can prevent history from repeating itself in this business.
Click the link below for the more in depth story:
[box type=”note” style=”rounded”]Read the original Titanic article: It’s Black and White; the hidden effects of cutting corners[/box]
I’d love to read the original Titanic Story, “It’s Black and White…” but the link led to an error message. Can you provide a different link? Thanks.
Sorry about that, give it another try, it should be working now.