Good For Philadelphia

The 7/1/2010 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer published an article by Classical Music Critic Peter Dobrin that reports the Philadelphia Orchestra and Philly Pops have decided not to pursue plans for the former to absorb the latter. Regardless the reasons, it’s good to see that both groups were willing to honestly examine the situation and back away from a decision regardless of appearances… (more…)

Save The Revolution, We Need Reformation

With the League conference in full swing this week behind the theme of Orchestra R/Evoluiton, it seems much of the discussion is focused outward: what orchestras mean to their communities, new business models, etc. It’s fun to take part in visioning exercises but those are best left for times of economic stability and growth. What should be taking place is talk about Reformation, how those entrusted with governance and administration can adapt to do more during a time of less… (more…)

Don’t Let Anyone Else In On This

Wouldn’t it be grand to have a crystal ball to provide glimpses into the economic future for our respective communities? If so, we could get a leg up on where to cultivate future board members and better position ourselves for Boom and bust cycles. Alas, nothing like that exists but I can offer up the next best thing in the form of urban analysts and you’re in luck as one of the most intriguing minds within that field just happens to “get it” when it comes to the arts… (more…)

Things That Make You Go Buh!?! Honolulu

On Friday, 2/5/2010 Hawaii Public Radio aired an interview conducted by Noe Tanigawa to catch up on the current status of the bankrupt Honolulu Symphony Orchestra (HSO). The 29:35 segment featured excerpts from separate conversations with HSO Executive Director Majken Mechling and HSO tympanist and musicians’ representative Steve Dinion. Tanigawa did an excellent job at not only bringing out new details since the HSO filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on 12/18/2009 (more) but she managed to uncover two items of interest supporting why the HSO might be better off filing Chapter 7… (more…)

Brouhaha Over Business Models

The 11/9/2009 edition of the Huffington Post published an article by Kennedy Center president Michael Kaiser that starts off with the question “Does the Symphonic Orchestra Model Work?” The piece has caused quite a stir within the orchestra business; dander is up, hackles raised, and righteous indignation abounds. Yet, regardless how many times I read the post, I don’t see what everyone is so upset about… (more…)

What’s Old Is New Again

The latest issue of Senza Sordino, the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM) newsletter, included an article from ICSOM chair, Bruce Ridge that I found intriguing. Ridge’s article, The New Apocalypticism, examines the impact of the economic downturn and how the orchestra business has responded. Written from his perspective as an orchestra musician and governance activist, Ridge refutes the notion (and subsequent buzz words) that we’re in a “new economy” and uses detailed historical perspective to support his position… (more…)

From Reflection To Relevancy: Part 2

In Part 1 we examined how the Grant Park Music Festival (GPMF) is using an institutional history publication to not only document the organization’s 75 year history, but how it can serve as an effective tool for defining how a performing arts organization grows and interacts with the community. Today’s final installment will look at the book’s production costs and what the authors would do differently if they could go back and do it all again… (more…)

From Reflection To Relevancy: Part 1

Throughout the business, soul searching seems to be all the rage these days as orchestra stakeholders attempt to justify an institution’s value to the community and the art form in the wake of declining audience numbers and diminished public status. Typically, this process eventually manifests into some sort of institutional visioning and/or strategic planning process, the results of which can be mixed. But before looking too far into the future, orchestra stewards need to look at the institution’s past and one of the most effective methods for conducting a comprehensive review is to engage an institutional history project with the aim of producing a commercial publication. (more…)

Do We Need A New Business Model?

At least, that’s the question posed by Peter Dobrin in an article he wrote for the 4/5/2009 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The quick answer is no, but Dobrin’s article is representative of the normal sort of reservation and introspective analysis that accompanies any sort of unexpected critical event. In this case, the predicament is the economic downturn that deflated the value of orchestra endowments and in Dobrin’s article, he challenges the value of big endowments. Fortunately, that isn’t the problem… (more…)

Process Still Matters

The 4/6/2009 edition of the Star Tribune published an article by Graydon Royce that examines a recent round of budget and pay cuts at the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO). The article reports that the organization’s president indicated that pay cuts for management and staff took place before approaching musicians. This is the same procedure most organizations instituting pay cuts this season have demonstrated and on the surface it sounds fine, but in reality it contains a fundamental procedural flaw… (more…)

Quick Cash Dilemma In Honolulu

It is tough to ignore things that happen in threes and that is exactly the case this week with the Honolulu Symphony. First, Joe Patti posted an article about recent events, the Honolulu Weekly posted an article about the orchestra’s recent financial troubles amidst optimistic artistic gals, and then the orchestra musicians distributed a special edition of their newsletter to promote their opening concerts this weekend. Amid all of the unpleasantness from some orchestras over recent months, it is good to see that that Honolulu is holding on…

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Crafting A Clear Message

Although it has become fashionable over the past few years to focus on creating elaborate mission statements, that doesn’t mean bigger is always better. On one hand, conducting a thorough institutional self evaluation can produce a multitude of positive results. Yet on the other hand, attempting to put each of those results into words via a mission statement can complicate the task of communicating core values. Recently, Holly Mulcahy published the second article of a two part series which compares the Slow Food Movement to classical music. She does an excellent job at illustrating how many problems they have in common such as public perception, relevancy, and branding and she talks about how the Slow Food movement managed to successfully build international cohesion around a simple set of core values. All in all, both articles are well worth your time: Part 1 and Part 2.