It’s Bastille Day. We have our General Dress rehearsal tonight for Porgy. Tomorrow I travel to Valence to see the 11th stage of the Tour de France. With all that going on why, you may ask, is my mind a thousand miles away?
Current Events
We are for Profit…aren’t we?…..
I am up here in Lake Placid for 6 weeks of concerts in the glorious Adirondacks with the Lake Placid Sinfonietta. Something is really bothering me, even though I am here in paradise. The words not-for-profit have such a negative connotation. I know it’s a widely used categorical description but it’s not accurate in the figurative sense and unfortunately on so many occasions when an orchestra’s financial situation is akin to a house on fire often the solution offered is to not to douse the flames, but to destroy the house!….
Stravinsky on a Stick…
It’s that time of year again, when the average Minnesotan starts salivating profusely and planning their foray into the great culinary unknown. Yes, folks, it’s just around the corner, only three months away. The great Minnesota get-together known as …….. The Minnesota State Fair!!!! WHEEE!!!!! Heart surgeons within 500 miles are on high alert…
Truth and Consequences…
Hawai’i. Some of us consider it a paradise. My wife and I were married on a beach on the beautiful island of Maui and we’ve been back twice since to celebrate anniversaries. But for others – namely the Honolulu Symphony musicians – Hawai’i is proving to be a black hole, and like the black holes of astronomy it is revealing some fundamental points about the structure of the musical universe. Unfortunately, reality is a harsh mistress.
Grammys? Who cares!!!!
It’s that time of year again. The Grammy Awards are all the talk of the business, and once again there is the yearly bellyaching about how the Classical Grammy awards aren’t shown on TV. Well……. who cares?
Adjusting the Seasonings in Salt Lake! – Time to Make a Play!
The Utah Symphony and Opera have been rescued by a very large gift which is great news. A couple of articles about their situation got me thinking more about community outreach and how the tangible resonance of a hall needs to be matched with the resonance felt within and even beyond our communities. More importantly though, it’s now time for Orchestras to stop playing defense in this recession and start to become a player in getting America out of it!……We are faced with possibly the greatest opportunity ever to become relevant, so it’s time get off the bench and fight!…..
In the City of Big Shudders…
Wow. I had to re-read the article for a third time today because it just didn’t make sense the other two times. There’s an orchestra in the United States of America that’s threatening to go on strike? In these economic times? Guess denial ain’t just a river in Egypt, or in Chicago for that matter.
Two Takes – Entrepreneurship and Michelle Obama’s Speech
My class brings current blog posts and/or articles to debate, 3 on Tuesday and 3 on Thursday. In the clips below first Mackenna and I discuss the perception of what an entrepreneur is from an article by David Cutler, author of the soon to be released Savvy Musician. Then 3 of them on Tuesday brought in an article about Michelle Obama’s speech given in Pittsburgh about the arts. We kind of disagreed on what the impact will be, or if there will be any at all….