The Business of Orchestras
:: Committee Work
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Robert's Rules of Order: A Primer |
There are lots of reasons that musicians cite for refusing to serve on orchestra committees (and especially for refusing to chair such committees). Many are reasonable. But one that is often used by unwilling musicians is not: the fear of parliamentary procedure. Fortunately for their orchestras, it's a fear that's largely unfounded. The basics of parliamentary procedure make good sense and take very little time to understand. And the basics are all that's necessary to be able to run most orchestra meetings.
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How to Hire a Boss |
The North Carolina Symphony's three-year international Music Director search came to a successful conclusion in January with the announcement that Grant Llewellyn, who is also Artistic Director of Boston's Handel and Haydn Society, would become the fifth Music Director in the orchestra's 72-year history.
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The Virginia Symphony Musicians' PR Brochure: Hampton Roads' Major League Team! |
The musicians of the Virginia Symphony recently published a Public Relations brochure with the above title and started a website. What were our objectives and what was the impetus for us to undertake this project?
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Some Guiding Principles for Music Director Searches |
I have had the very real privilege of participating as Search Committee Chair for the Eugene Symphony's last three Music Director Searches, which resulted in the appointments of Marin Alsop, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, and Giancarlo Guerrero. Each Search presented different challenges for the organization.
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Modeling the Ideal: |
A friend and colleague working at another orchestra gave me a great piece of advice at the very start of the North Carolina Symphony's search to find a successor to Gerhardt Zimmermann as its Music Director in 2001.
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The Music Director Search |
A Music Director search is one of the most significant moments in the history of an orchestra. No other event presents a greater opportunity for an orchestra to reach out to its audiences and advance as an artistic institution. In some orchestras, this is a moment that only happens every few decades. In others, it can occur much more frequently. But in every case, a Music Director search provides a singular opportunity for an orchestra to connect with its community, and to build positive relationships with all of the various constituencies that make up the governance of the orchestra.