Around The Blogosphere: Classical Connections

Next in the list of wonderful blogger sites you may have missed during your online travels is Classical Connections, a blog authored by Edmonton Symphony music director, Bill Eddins…


Bill’s blog isn’t so much a traditional blog as it is an outlet for Bill’s (free) Podcasts about Classical Music and the History of the World. My understanding is that Bill was the first music director to launch their own free Podcasts about classical music designed to help generate increased interest in classical music.

His offerings are all wildly entertaining, relevant, and are accessible on a multitude of levels. Bill provides this entire service free of charge and is not remunerated for his efforts (a selfless quality not often found among the ranks of pro conductors) and creates the entire production from his home studio.

There are several offerings to select from already although finding them on iTunes can be tricky. When asked about the Apple based SNAFU at Classical Connections, Bill wrote,

“I’m a dedicated Mac head, I own 6 Macs, I love them, but I’ve found that there customer service sucks out loud.”

At least it’s comforting to know that MAC and PC developers will share the same level of Hell together, albeit for different reasons.

Moving Date: T-minus 4 days and counting

About Drew McManus

"I hear that every time you show up to work with an orchestra, people get fired." Those were the first words out of an executive's mouth after her board chair introduced us. That executive is now a dear colleague and friend but the day that consulting contract began with her orchestra, she was convinced I was a hatchet-man brought in by the board to clean house.

I understand where the trepidation comes from as a great deal of my consulting and technology provider work for arts organizations involves due diligence, separating fact from fiction, interpreting spin, as well as performance review and oversight. So yes, sometimes that work results in one or two individuals "aggressively embracing career change" but far more often than not, it reinforces and clarifies exactly what works and why.

In short, it doesn't matter if you know where all the bodies are buried if you can't keep your own clients out of the ground, and I'm fortunate enough to say that for more than 15 years, I've done exactly that for groups of all budget size from Qatar to Kathmandu.

For fun, I write a daily blog about the orchestra business, provide a platform for arts insiders to speak their mind, keep track of what people in this business get paid, help write a satirical cartoon about orchestra life, hack the arts, and love a good coffee drink.

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