Blog

Musicians Business Challenge—A Highly Competitive and Large Talent Pool

OK, so we all agree that it’s tough out there in the real world. Nobody argues with that, but we don’t let it get in our way. Successful people in music are drawn to the music itself. It may sound corny but music and performance can be very addictive. The music profession calls us, and[…]

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Yet more trouble for Honolulu

Things look bleak in Honolulu, even after a $1.8 million gift in September: The chairman of the Honolulu Symphony’s board of directors told KITV on Wednesday, that as of last Friday, the symphony did not have enough money to make its payroll. Peter Shaindlin said he hopes to make an announcement about the symphony’s future[…]

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2 Guys + 1 Guitar = Mozart

Someone sent me this several weeks ago, and I just stumbled upon it again while straightening up my very cluttered desktop. I used to do a variation of this with beginning clarinet students to demonstrate how good breath support made for good finger technique. They would blow into the clarinet and I would finger it.[…]

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Musician’s Business Challenge—Reduced Resources

We read about orchestra financial pressures all the time. Musicians demand a decent wage and when communities and boards have difficulty supporting them, an impasse results. Of the 51 ICSOM orchestras , there are ten with minimum scales over $100,000. Not surprisingly these orchestras are in large metropolitan cities like New York, Boston, Chicago and[…]

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Great Performances Without all the Fuss and Bother

Recently I wrote about several “apps” that allow users to virtually play an instrument. The Nov 1st issue of the NYTimes has a longer article about a similar idea: “Orchestra Hero”. Written by Michael Gordon, a composer, it’s an enthusiastic endorsement of the art form we all know and love, but which is unknown to[…]

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Another diaspora story

A couple of weeks ago I linked to a story about one of the many musicians who formed the great diaspora of Jews from Europe during and after the Nazi era. Here’s another one: The Lost Cellos of Lev Aronson. Its sounds like the title of one of those wistful, purposely sentimental novels that seem[…]

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Greg Sandow is Riffing

Many of you may follow the writings of Greg Sandow in his Arts Journal Blog.  If you do you will know that for the past couple of years Greg has been writing a book, and presenting it piece by piece in his blog.  This project went dormant for a period of time, but now he’s[…]

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How many basses does it take to make a video?

I’d bet it takes quite a few, if this is the video:

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The Musicians Business Challenge—Changing Demand

Ask any musician ten years older than you how business is, and he will probably say, “It’s OK, but it was much better ten years ago.” If that same person asks the identical question to another musician ten years older than he is, he will probably get the same answer.  “It’s OK, but it was[…]

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The Naxos nexus

This joint venture seems like a very good idea for both parties: …Naxos of America will begin physical and digital distribution of the renowned Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s premiere record label CSO Resound.

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1
Musicians Business Challenge—A Highly Competitive and Large Talent Pool
2
Yet more trouble for Honolulu
3
2 Guys + 1 Guitar = Mozart
4
Musician’s Business Challenge—Reduced Resources
5
Great Performances Without all the Fuss and Bother
6
Another diaspora story
7
Greg Sandow is Riffing
8
How many basses does it take to make a video?
9
The Musicians Business Challenge—Changing Demand
10
The Naxos nexus