I was fully prepared to leave the Minnesota Orchestra posts to my partner in Blog Bill, and Drew at Adaptistration, but something I read really ticked me off!…..this is about attitude….
Arts Funding
Quick Takes: Irreplaceable? Turn up the Music and Turn off the Noise!
There is a free fall happening that is hard to get our collective heads around, and the infighting going on in orchestras is shutting out the most valuable and viable of voices, the audience. Whether it’s a lockout (Indy), a force in (Jacksonville), a bankruptcy or a strike, the “why can’t we all just get along” cliche is actually appropriate for a very specific reason….
Nothing Ventured… Kicking the Habit, Part III
Those who have been long-term readers of this blog will know that I am a relentless critic of the classical music business and how it has evolved over the past 4 decades. I believe there is a lot of blame to go around for our ills and I don’t think anyone is immune from that blame. Situations like Indianapolis, Atlanta, SPCO, and Minnesota would not be possible if our field was healthy and respected throughout society. But it’s easy to throw darts at something without really committing to change. Now, it is time to put money where my mouth is – and I need your help to do it.
Gentlemen/Ladies…Stop Your Engines…The INDY minus 500!
The true deficit in an organization in trouble is the one in leadership. That is what ultimately turns a crack in the veneer into a fault line in the foundation. This is what is happening in Indianapolis, and it’s the first thing that needs to be addressed. Unfortunately the lack of leadership is working in favor for those who want to slash and burn. But there is something a little different about this situation and something that can most definitely be done….
The search for the perfect (Cease) Business Model!
It seems that there is a lot of energy being put into finding ways to either shut an orchestra down or seriously compromise it’s existence. I don’t remember receiving an invitation to the “20,000 (Orchestra) Leagues Under the Sea” conference. The plans range from bankruptcy (Syracuse), canceling a season (Delaware), to trying to hire “new” musicians (Louisville). They all have one thing in common though…
Moneyball meets the Mellonball!
So a hot blow in Miami meets a cold blast in Denver as two completely different orchestras try out two models for attracting audiences. There are huge differences between the future plans for the New World Symphony and the Colorado Symphony, not the least of which is the fact that in Miami they are using someone else’s money and are not taking any risks, whereas in Colorado they are risking it all!….
The CON in Conscience…..
I have written that the true deficit that leads to an orchestra’s downfall, is the deficit in leadership. There is something else that also is a huge contributing factor that can also lead to major systemic problems, and potentially can lead to the deficit in leadership: The erosion of a collective conscience. It takes on many forms, but the whole pension debacle puts it into a very sharp focus….
Swimming Upstream with Sandow….
Firstly Greg Sandow is one of the first bloggers I started to read regularly, and I still do. I have met him, I admire him and respect him greatly. I think his recent post though about relevance doesn’t take an important thing into account, which is that a determination of what is relevant is not really our call to make….that belongs to our audiences and our communities….