Neo Classical – Page 15 – Holly Mulcahy on the future of classical music

It’s Black and White; the hidden effects of cutting corners

Mon, Apr 5, 2010

by:

Holly Mulcahy

Coda It was a combined effort of several orchestras and several conductors that helped raise money for the dead musicians’ families. Edward Elgar, Thomas Beecham, The London Symphony and The Philharmonic Orchestra were just some of the star players we’d recognize in this decade. In total, 500 musicians filled the stage at Royal Albert Hall, with an audience at capacity to hear the concert that May afternoon. So touching was this concert, it made headlines in both Europe and the United States. The only thing to eclipse the concert’s sheer size was … Continue Reading

7 comments

Orchestra Smaland; what a Swedish mega-retailer can teach classical music about building a customer base

Mon, Mar 1, 2010

by:

Holly Mulcahy

That old saying, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, applies to classical music audiences now more than ever. Everyone remotely involved in the orchestra business is already aware that audiences are looking older and it is becoming harder to get younger listeners into the hall. And not only is there difficulty of pulling in patrons under 40, there is the ongoing challenge of keeping children educated about classical music so we can have some idea that there will be an audience for future generations. I’ve made a point to ask … Continue Reading

9 comments

The Dream Job; I wish my job as an orchestra musician was as easy as some make it seem

Mon, Feb 1, 2010

by:

Holly Mulcahy

In the outrageously funny movie, Office Space, there is a scene where the main character Peter Gibbons, a lowly cubicle dwelling worker, has to meet with a pair of efficiency consultants the company has hired to recommend cutbacks to define what he does during an average work day. One of Peter’s co-workers accurately describes the process as “interviewing for your own job”. It is a hilarious scene due to Peter’s honesty in telling the consultants (both named “Bob”) that in the course of any given week, he spends most of his time … Continue Reading

7 comments

Marketing to Procrastinators

Mon, Jan 4, 2010

by:

Holly Mulcahy

It seems to happening everywhere for symphony orchestras: low ticket sales to concerts. Unfortunately, this has become an all too familiar headline and the really surprising news is when an orchestra has a full house of paying patrons! But if the New York Times article from December 28th has any merit the ticket sales decline could be connected, in part, to something in our human nature. The author of the article explains how humans tend to procrastinate pleasure.

1 comment

The Google Philharmonic

Mon, Dec 7, 2009

by:

Holly Mulcahy

A few months back I published an article that examined elements from Geoff Colvin’s book, Talent is Overrated. One of Colvin’s key points was how companies cultivate creativity and then use it to create better and more productive employees. Colvin used Google as one of his examples and wrote extensively about their philosophy behind fostering a very employee-friendly work environment and how it promotes and maintains productivity. Colvin’s example made me want to learn even more about Google. They provide so much to workers, I was secretly hoping to find an in-house … Continue Reading

1 comment