On our summer trip last year, I was amused when we drove across “Nameless Creek” Indiana because by calling it that, it actually gave it a name! Just as ironic was to read that the CEO and President of the Grand Rapids Symphony Peter Kjome had “no comment” when asked a pertinent question relating to their staff salary cuts and how it would impact the musician’s agreement, and then he promptly commented!……
Aud.Connect
Speed Dating BSO style and “I see Old people!”….
Is there still a school of thought that says just get them to the hall, you know the young ones and they will be hooked forever? Seems like the Boston Symphony marketing folks are doing their best to prove Einstein’s theory of insanity:
……..doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results…….
SCHUBERT!!! WE SHOULD BE PLAYING SCHUBERT!!!
Strangely, I have lately run across a certain mentality in the orchestra business that I thought was heading into extinction. Silly me.
To bring back a memory is greater than any compliment….
As a music director I believe that my position is one of privilege more than one of power. The true power lies in the opportunity to uplift and to lift up through the music we perform. All of us at one time or another wait for a letter, message or email to let us know what the next step in our own personal journey or career path will be. A letter I received recently though, put into even sharper focus that it’s about the next step in our audience’s journey and the privilege of being able to take it with them that defines success for me……
Étoile du Nord – Volume I
It occurred to me recently that in many ways that when we talk about orchestras much of what we refer to is somewhat … abstract.
Peoria Symphony – Where the walls come tumbling up!
I’ll never forget watching a NBA post game news conference when the winning coach was asked what made him think to put the ball in the hands of a rookie who then scored seemingly at will to win the game. His response and I paraphrase:
I didn’t, the guy thought we were in trouble and he stepped up to help the team, he led the leaders and we won the game!
The Peoria Symphony needs someone like that to step up to save their team…well someone has tried and failed, so now someone else needs to ……Time for some Schock treatment!……not a misspelling I assure you…..
Meshugass in Michigan!….
Pssst…paging Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA), you might not have heard this but the economy is in the “tank” right now, so using the economic impact of the arts to convince the governor to not eliminate arts funding might not be the best tactic! It might make the arts go the way of the Sphinx…wait!…in fact Sphinx is actually the way you should go…..
ConnectiCUTS Deep and both ways! An Irreversable Immolation!
A famous incident took place in a performance of Tosca when Maria Callas drew blood from Tito Gobbi when the retractable knife didn’t cooperate (it was only a minor injury). In another performance (in the same scene) Callas getting too close to the candles set her hair on fire, only to be rescued by the Gobbi smothering the flames (she reportedly said thank you before stabbing him!). Well Connecticut Opera just stabbed their audience to death, and then burnt themselves to the ground!…..