I heard a great quote on Talk of the Nation today. It was a quote from Peter Drucker, the great marketing guru of our time. He said (and I’m paraphrasing here): The decision to purchase is not about a product’s strengths and weaknesses, it’s about the consumer’s need to satisfy a want and how they
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I just happened upon this short article about the departure of the executive director of the Tacoma Symphony (which was my first professional gig when I was in undergrad at the University of Puget Sound) – here, you read it in its entirety, and tell me what jumps out at you: Amy Wigstrom, executive director
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It will feature a loch, a castle, the Beastie Boys and, its organisers hope, 20,000 “discerning music fans” who like their festivals with “a little more comfort” and can overlook the risk of drizzle. The promoters behind the Glasgow music festival T in the Park last week announced they were launching a new festival, called
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Just caught this photo from the Baltimore Symphony musicians’ website – enjoy! My orchestral repertoire class was taught by the great Rick Field, principal viola of the BSO. courtesy of the BSO musicians page
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We had a visit from ICSOM (International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians) President Bruce Ridge today (as part of a three-day residency), which included a presentation and Q&A session with members of the OSO. The most interesting part of his remarks was that we musicians have a very powerful positive message to send out
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Just ran across this interesting radio story from Minnesota Public Radio about the recent exodus of top arts administrators during the 2006-2007 season (one of whom was former OSO president Anthony Woodcock).
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crabapple b/w, originally uploaded by nobleviola. The crabapple and cherry trees in the neighborhood are exploding with blooms (as are local noses with seasonal allergies) and it’s nice to see the sun and temps in the upper 60′s.
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Interesting study that just was released – read more here. Here’s the teaser: Scientists have uncovered the first concrete evidence that playing music can significantly enhance the brain and sharpen hearing for all kinds of sounds, including speech. “Experience with music appears to help with many other things in life, potentially transferring to activities like
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A few months ago Elaine Calder asked the orchestra members to suggest guest artists with whom they would like to work. I’ve compiled a list of those who I’d personally love to see come, as well as those who I think would really create excitement and big audience numbers for our concerts. It’s been quite
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We did a quick trip up to Seattle Friday night for the Seattle Violoncello Society’s Bach Suite Marathon on Saturday morning/afternoon. We arrived slightly late Saturday to catch the first of the suites performed by cellists from around Western (and Central) Washington. The performers included my lovely wife Heather Blackburn (she did the two Gavottes
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For those of you who love (and who doesn’t?) the Young Artists at the Schnitz concerts each year – there is more good news. Christopher O’Riley‘s radio show “From the Top” has now become a PBS television program! The show will begin airing on Oregon Public Broadcasting (television) starting on Sunday, April 8, 2007 at
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Last night the Arnica Quartet performed as part of the new (and hopefully annual) MarchMusic series held at the new OHSU medical office building (now informally known as the “Tram building”). It was an encouraging experiment. The lobby of this new LEED platinum-certified structure has surprisingly wonderful acoustics – we could hear each other very
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The Utah Symphony is trying a new tactic to eliminate huge swaths of empty seats in their hall: they’re blacking out seats in the back and upper tiers to pack concertgoers closer together to give the impression of a larger audience. Read the complete story from the Salt Lake Tribune here. Here’s the opening:  A
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Just to update a major mistake on my part: the OSO is NOT discontinuing kids and young people’s concerts next season. Brochures will be sent out in the coming week – the symphony is targeting the different series with their own brochure, so this led to the impression that the series were being ended. I
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A timely story from the Manchester Guardian newspaper about musicians playing while injured and their reluctance to seek treatment: Research indicates that professional musicians are considerably more susceptible to back pain than the rest of the population, and that 52% of musicians who experience muscular discomfort will find the problem to be associated with intensive
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