Let’s See If Recent Changes Can Shake Things Up In Shreveport

It’s been a few months since we checked in with things at the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra (SSO) but suffice to say, the mission based schizophrenia issues remain unchanged (details here) as does the organization’s webpage which continues to display a pops event that took place on May 21, 2009. What has changed is the organization’s executive director…

SSO executive director, Scott Green, leaves the embattled organization at the end of July.
SSO executive director, Scott Green, leaves the embattled organization at the end of July.

The 7/23/2009 edition of the Shreveport Times published an article by Donecia Pea that reports SSO executive director Scott Green has resigned and will officially leave the position on 7/31/2009. The article also reminds readers that the labor disagreement between musicians and the board remains unresolved.

Whenever the executive administrator leaves his/her position amidst a contentious and unresolved labor dispute it is typically followed by some sort of movement in negotiations. Sometimes that movement escalates the conflict but statistically, it is the first step toward a settlement. There is no official word from the SSO board or SSO musicians but that may change by the middle of August when key figures from both sides return from regularly scheduled vacations, etc.

In the meantime, the only remaining administrators after Green’s departure include one senior manager and two staffers (at least, that is, according to the SSO’s website).

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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