Category - Uncategorized

1
Cavalcade of baby conductors
2
The Vampire Squid and nonprofits – a real thing?
3
Polyphonic.org Needs Your Help!
4
What I did on my summer vacation
5
On playing pieces for the last time
6
Some more words on sub pay and Minnesota
7
The Third Estate
8
The Baton and the Jackboot – Then and Now
9
Millennial America
10
Minnesota Orchestra board steps up

Cavalcade of baby conductors

My orchestra had auditions for assistant conductor today. We saw six candidates for about 30 minutes each. It was an interesting experience, although not very enjoyable. A few I liked; a few I didn’t. But what struck me most was what always strikes me when dealing with young conductors; their failure to follow my two[…]

Read More

The Vampire Squid and nonprofits – a real thing?

Back at the height of the War on the Northern Front, I speculated about how the involvement of key leaders at the two largest banks in the Twin Cities might be making things worse: …there is no third party willing to wade in and lean on the Minnesota Orchestra board to abandon an approach which[…]

Read More

Polyphonic.org Needs Your Help!

For the last decade, Polyphonic.org has continually sought to provide a valuable experience for our users. We want to hear from you in order to continue to make your experience a great one! Please help us by taking our quick, three-minute survey! How often do you access Polyphonic.org?   At Least Once A Week Less[…]

Read More

What I did on my summer vacation

Quite literally what I did for two weeks last summer.

Read More

On playing pieces for the last time

One of the oddities of an orchestral career is the lack of control that we have over what we play. A consequencesof that odd fact is that, towards the end of a career, it’s possible to state with some certainty that one will have played a work for the last time. I’ve been musing on[…]

Read More

Some more words on sub pay and Minnesota

The folks at soundnotion.tv hosted a discussion with Drew McManus and myself on the subject of substitute pay and how it was handled in last year’s Minnesota Orchestra settlement. The discussion was moderated (very well, I thought) by David MacDonald and Sam Merciers. It can be watched on YouTube here. I felt the discussion covered[…]

Read More

The Third Estate

If one wishes to contribute to the conversation about how to expand the audience base for American orchestras, then one must talk about what those orchestras are presenting — and right now that’s a taboo subject. The fact is that the discussion about WHAT exactly orchestras are presenting has never taken place. The arbitrary distinction[…]

Read More

The Baton and the Jackboot – Then and Now

Berta Geissmar was a doctor of philosophy, a musician, and an author. The poignant image she creates of Germany before National Socialism is one where culture and, in particular music, was absolutely at the forefront of life.

Read More

Millennial America

Orchestras need to offer compelling reasons for millennials to make live symphonic music a part of their lives.  After all, millennials are the largest generation in human history, and at nearly 90 million people they will very soon make up the vast majority of our orchestras’ stakeholders, constituents, audience, staff members and supporters – and[…]

Read More

Minnesota Orchestra board steps up

Michael Henson will be leaving the Minnesota Orchestra: The Minnesota Orchestra announced Thursday night that its president, Michael Henson, whose decision to seek a substantial pay cut from its musicians led to a bruising 16-month lockout when they resisted, would be leaving his post at the end of August. The departure of Mr. Henson could[…]

Read More