Here we go again, another ridiculous attempt to deceive “the young” into buying tickets with gimmicks and tricks to make sure that they will never come back after attending only once!….
Rants&Raves
What defines a healthy Orchestra?….
We are constantly strategizing to make our orchestras healthy. Precious little of any strategy has much to do with the actual health of the musicians in per-service orchestras, which are the majority of the League member orchestras. I wonder if this is something that needs a forum on a state or even national level. Certainly it can start in a small way at the Orchestra management level….
New from Heinz: Cupcakes that cost $50,000!
I was working with the Syracuse Symphony last week and was able to take a trip to Eastman to meet with Greg Sandow, who is teaching there once a week for seven weeks. Our talk went all over the map and we shared many ideas. He suggested I check out the Heinz Endowments and their grants for audience initiatives. It just so happens that the program was also in the news last week. The news is not good though, not good at all!….
Junichi Hirokami and the CSO: Empowering the Audience!
It was not a stunt on January 19 when 22 musicians didn’t return to their seats until intermission was nearly over. It was a demonstration of what the orchestra might look like if the Columbus Symphony Orchestra board proposals for deep cuts are adopted. It was as if they were saying to the audience:
Is this the orchestra you want to see? You decide.
It was an extraordinary move, and now the audience is now going to be a part of the decision, as they should be!…………….
After the panic…Trust sets in!
Whenever you hear or read about “Midwest tornadoes”, chances are they are talking about my neck of the woods. This past Monday a freakish line of storms passed right through Springfield and if you have never heard a tornado siren sound, trust me, when you are out when it does and your family is not with you, having to cancel a rehearsal is the furthest thing from your mind….
New Year’s Resolutions – Re-join the League….
and lose 20 pounds!
The Springfield Symphony was one of the 39 charter orchestras that started ASOL. Well they’ve now changed their name, and it’s my hope they’re not going to be “in a league of their own”. I don’t want to be anonymous in any survey, and since they are new again, I just want to give my wish or hope list for the League of American Orchestras…..
Surprise Gifts of the Season….
Catching my breath from the busiest holiday concert season I have ever had, there were some unexpected moments in different performances that I will forever remember, moments that truly made me feel so lucky to be doing what I do….
Go see Sweeney Todd – Sondheim should be on “the list”
Legitimacy in art has long been debated by intellectuals as to whether or not popularity equals legitimacy. I have heard it bemoaned that there have been no Operas written in the past 40 to 50 years that have become part of the regular repertoire. I would argue that the composer Stephen Sondheim like Gershwin and Bernstein before him has broken that Musical to Opera barrier even though he says he’s not a fan of Opera! For me Sweeney Todd is an Opera and Sondheim is a master composer who should be on “the list”….