Monthly Archives: December 2009
On vacation
Posted on December 24, 2009 at 7:50 pm by Robert Levine
in General |
We are on a winter hiatus (Hiatusmas?) until January 4th or so. Stay warm and remember that whatever program it is you’re doing over and over and over again will eventually end – at least for 11 months or so.
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Nothing to do with Music, But I Like It
Posted on December 22, 2009 at 5:00 am by Ramon Ricker
in Videos |
Actor Brian Cox works with a young thespian.
Tab dump 12/21/09
Posted on December 21, 2009 at 11:23 am by Robert Levine
in General |
By a not-so-odd coincidence (it is December, after all) some of the autograph of Messiah is now available online. Check out the end of the Hallelujah chorus and notice the absence of any tempo change in the last two bars.
This is very sad.
And why would Costa Rica own instruments in the first place if not for them to be played?
The Vancouver Symphony would like to be seen as well as heard.
I wrote an article for Polyphonic on how to survive being treasurer of your orchestra committee.
Peter Dobrin thinks that three years without a music director is too long for the Philadelphia Orchestra.
You can help pass health care reform or you can help someone pay their bills by buying a violin. Seriously.
The Cleveland has a New Chairman.
The Seattle burns through Another ED.
On doing yet another run of mediocre Messiahs
Posted on December 18, 2009 at 8:46 am by Robert Levine
in General |
Handel’s Messiah is one of the monuments of Western culture. So why is virtually every performance done by American orchestras so mediocre?
Our industry talks a wonderful line about “world-class” and “excellence.” (No doubt some orchestra mission statements throw in praise of applehood and Mother pie as well). But when it comes to Messiah, the order of the day is invariably maximizing revenue while minimizing costs. This means lots of performances with minimal rehearsal (for a work twice as long as Mahler 8 but no easier), going with the smallest possible complement of musicians (hey, it’s Baroque music, right?), local soloists, and usually the orchestra’s chorus director or assistant conductor on the podium. If a guest conductor is brought in, it’s certainly not a big name with a correspondingly big price tag – and it’s almost never the orchestra’s music director. This is not a recipe for sterling performances. (more…)
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What is a Brand and is Yours a Good One?
Posted on December 17, 2009 at 5:00 am by Ramon Ricker
in General |
What is the first thing you think of when the company Coca-Cola is mentioned—how about Apple or Mercedes? These are all strong brands that have distinct images associated with them. As a musician you also have a brand. You, Inc. means something to those who want to hire you. Let’s think about that in business terms for a minute. Hang in there. Here come some definitions. (more…)
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Thinking like the audience
Posted on December 15, 2009 at 7:23 am by Robert Levine
in General |
I linked yesterday to a Huffington Post article by Michael Kaiser which was both interesting and frustrating:
No comments…money concerns truly have begun to overwhelm artistic decisions in too many arts organizations. The fear that the organization will not survive has driven many arts organizations to produce safer, more accessible, and, unfortunately, more boring art, especially in this current economic downturn.
This is a deeply scary phenomenon. If arts organizations do not take risk, they cannot create the next great work of art. If not-for-profit arts organizations begin to think like for-profit entertainment companies, we will not produce the next generation of great playwrights, composers, artists and choreographers. (more…)
Tab dump 12/14/09
Posted on December 14, 2009 at 3:46 pm by Robert Levine
in General |
New Hampshire Music Festival musicians have filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge against management with the National Labor Relations Board.
The Cleveland posts A Deficit.
Nobody thinks there was a magic ingredient in Strads anymore; nonetheless, people still insist on debunking the idea.
ICSOM Chair Bruce Ridges talks about stuff with Polyphonic senior editor Ann Drinan.
Negotiations aren’t going well in Long Beach.
The Baltimore Symphony gets a big gift for its education programs.
Conductors suffer from age discrimination too.
Milwaukee’s United Performing Arts Fund raised lots of money.
It’s hard to run an orchestra in a community that looks like post-WWII Berlin, except without the people.
But it’s not impossible, at least if the orchestra is the recipient of a massive endowment gift.
Michael Kaiser thinks the answer to our problems is more interesting programming. He also thinks the answer to my pitch problems is to put my fingers in the right place more often.
The NEA believes audiences for what we do are shrinking.
Another Antidote for the Music Major’s Bridge to Nowhere—Create You, Inc.
Posted on December 14, 2009 at 5:00 am by Ramon Ricker
in General |
All musicians don’t have to be performers. Though they may start by singing or playing an instrument, some musicians transition to composing or studying music history or theory. An amateur does this for recreation and fun. A professional may do that too, but the difference is this: professionals are paid for what they do (and that’s important). (When I speak about professional musicians I am not just talking about performers. I include composers, teachers and academics in the mix.)
Anyway—professionals are, in effect, a small business, offering goods and services just as any small business would. Imagine a newly minted clarinetist from a top music school. (We’ll use the clarinet, but the metaphor easily works with other instruments, and for the sake of clarity, we’ll say our clarinetist is a woman.) She may be a fine player, but what does that clarinetist really offer the marketplace? Who will pay for what she can do? Importantly, for the clarinetist, will it provide enough money on which to live? (more…)
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Orchestra Taps an Unlikely Revenue Stream
Posted on December 13, 2009 at 12:13 pm by Ramon Ricker
in General, Videos |
It’s a beer bottle orchestra, and it’s not a bad idea on lots of levels: It humanizes the orchestra, makes the players seem “normal,” gives the orchestra some media exposure and hopefully brings in some money to the coffers. Doesn’t about every mid-size city and larger have a favorite local beer? Note to orchestra marketing directors, look for partnership opportunities. So–Here’s the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Cezary Skubiszewski, playing the Victoria Bitter beer commercial theme song on bottles of VB.
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No business for old men?
Posted on December 11, 2009 at 9:38 am by Robert Levine
in General, The Future |
About a week ago, my BBB Charles Noble linked to a post by former Seattle Symphony concertmaster Ilkka Talvi on what’s wrong with our business. According to Talvi, the answer is “quite a bit”:
No commentsShrink the size of an orchestra to about 60, large enough to play the classics we love, and hire extras when needed… it comes to making money, you’d be surprised for how little people are willing to play. ..
Reduce salaries and change the pay scale, similar to what people earn in many other professions. How about a base salary of $30k, plus then a per-service fee?…
No one could imagine a ballet company where most of the dancers are well past their prime or weigh 300 pounds. The company, in order to be competitive, wants to have new young blood continuously. Everyone knows that a dancer’s career is short. Injuries set in and the body at 45 isn’t as flexible as it was at 20. Unions representing ballet dancers can’t promote seniority and prevent new fresh talent from coming in. (more…)