I have a icky cold today and don’t feel very self-inspired to write. However, I was so inspired by another’s great idea. I thought the Artful Manager’s idea to use iTunes in the place of doing promotional DVD/CDs, I sent the link to his blog to all the members of my booking consortium rather than keeping it to myself. (They don’t know I blog. I am sure they would be in too much awe of my insights to hold meaningful conversations. Why don’t I trot out those self-same insights at meetings? Well, then I wouldn’t have anything to blog about!)
I have also been enjoying reading Adapistration’s “Something Special In St. Louis” series (read follow his links to all the installments) where Drew McManus talks to musicians and audience members at a free concert by the St. Louis Symphony with 30 musicians from 14 other orchestras to thank the public for staying faithful to me through the contentious strike the symphony just underwent. (Drew chronicles the horrid mess here)
The thing that struck me most was that the event seemed to humanize the orchestra to their patrons and the patrons to the orchestra. In fact, the event seemed to solidify the idea of the arts community as including both the artists and the patrons.
On the other hand, there was a frank recognition that there is some serious healing that has to be done between the musicians and management. One also hopes that the bond they now feel for each other doesn’t melt away too quickly and revert to business as usual where the audience feels intimidated and the orchestra regarding them with mild disdain.