I've always admired leaders who inspire and allow the people around them to do their jobs without micromanaging. I think it allows for people to do their best work. No leader wants to be a tyrant or a dictator.
Read MoreI truly believe that this is one reason the Artistic Director must get to know the community and must figure out how they are going to be unique and interesting in ways that appeal to the community.
Read MoreAnd, OV's next season is looking to be an amazing one. (Think live elephant).
Read More(I mean, it ended with me discussing fixed cost allocation with the board treasurer, Charley Hanses, so you know it was fun!)
Read MoreI need to figure out is what the relationship is between the Yakima Symphony Orchestra and the youth symphony. There is a lot of potential in the youth orchestra for really developing a younger generation of musicians.
Read MoreNo, I haven't secretly taken up a job with the Yakima, WA tourist bureau, but when a town is surrounded by hops and vineyards, it seems a pretty cool place to visit.
Read More70-80% of the hops in the US are produced here in Yakima, and it's 2nd only to Germany in hops production. I got to try some of the wine from the surrounding area. Haven't tried the hops yet!
Read MoreI went to my first opera and was thoroughly unimpressed, and this was at the Vienna State Opera and a production of Madame Butterfly!
Read MoreSo, the whole thing starts with the artistic direction, and as an artistic director and conductor, of course I think that’s the way it should be. The side of me that did an MBA snickers at that last statement since he knows that without the amazing work of the executive director, all that work on developing great art is pretty useless – it takes money to make great art.
Read MoreHe always starts with his fundamental mantra for arts management – “great art, marketed well.” I remember the first time I heard it, I thought he was over simplifying the situation.
Read MoreIt takes the same number of people to perform opera and orchestral pieces as it did in the 1800s – there is no way around that if we are to maintain the experience.
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