Two articles jumped out at me over the weekend. Both reminded me of the constant tail chasing that goes on in the arts world. Sometimes we get so far behind our audience’s needs, that we end up doing either what we should have been doing all along but a little too late, or the opposite of we should be doing right now….
Ron Spigelman
In order to move forward, first you must “retreat”….plus handing the keys to the musicians!
We had Drew here this week for the purpose of beginning the process to re-structure our organization to be ready for the future. Being that we are in a strong position and not in crisis makes this the perfect time for that process. In other words, rather than waiting for the fires to start, we are attempting to make ourselves fire proof! There were two retreats and many meetings. I am going to let Drew extrapolate on his visit here and instead focus on his chat with myself and one of our musicians about a program that I hope will be repeated everywhere!…..
Lie to Me!…..
We all have our favorite TV or Radio shows that we watch or listen to regularly, whether they be a guilty pleasure, relaxation, passing time in the car etc…One of the best shows of the TV season was the Fox show “Lie to Me” and in the very intense season finale Dr. Cal Lightman played by Tim Roth said something that I can’t stop thinking about….
Be A…part?
There is constant debate on what relationship an artist needs to have with their audience, and whether there needs to be one at all! I mean who needs ticket sales, donations or any audience at all really? Oh yeah, ALL OF US, not to mention what does the audience need?… I need to get something off my chest….
Plugging the Holes before Filling the Barrel (2009) – Put it in the Bank….
I’m 41 today yikes….On the theme of free tickets, when there are empty seats there is an opportunity for outreach. Subscribers have a choice of what to do with their tickets if they are not able to attend such as to give them to friends/family etc.. or to take a tax deduction. There is another choice that could be offered that would turn a subscriber into an active participant in a community outreach program…..
Plugging the Holes before Filling the Barrel (2009) – We Salute You!…
My first Music Directorship was with the San Angelo Symphony (TX), and there were a lot of trial by fire moments that one can normally expect first time up at the plate. From the very beginning though I had always thought of an orchestra as a community service organization…..
Happy Hello and Happy Trails!….
I’m thrilled to have been named Principal Pops Conductor of the Syracuse Symphony! I will get to do all kinds of programs: pops, regional, family, and some classical ones too! I have been a regular guest since 2002 and love working with them. My most memorable experience so far occurred traveling to a Holiday Pops in Rome, the worst travel day of my life but with a great ending! The most hilarious: “Ron do y0u have any pants?” I look forward to more great pants…I mean great experiences! With sadness though I’m … Continue Reading
Plugging the Holes before Filling the Barrel (2009) – When Blank Checks Have No Value!
With hand wringing over empty seats and the “papering” arts organizations do to make a hall look respectable, the phrase “not worth the paper it’s written on” comes to mind. There is a golden opportunity to empower the audience to help recruit new audience members with a free ticket and/or referral program…..