Clients & Projects

Clients | Projects | Adaptistration | Inside The Arts | Neo Classical

	CLIENTS
	Organizations & Institutions > Ameya Preserve, Inc. > Brevard Music Center > Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra > Cleveland Orchestra > Columbus State University > Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra > Music in the Vineyards Festival > Musicians of the Phoenix Symphony > Nashville Chamber Orchestra > Nashville Symphony Orchestra > New Mexico Symphony Orchestra Players' Association > New Music Box > Orchestra of St. Luke's > Philadelphia Orchestra > University of Rochester Due to privacy and non-disclosure arrangements, clients who have contracted Mr. McManus' services to assist with collective bargaining sessions are not included in the above list.
	PROJECTS
	INTERNAL GOVERNANCE AND MODERNIZATION PROJECT In order to benefit from all that collective organization can offer, your players' association needs to develop a clearly defined internal culture. As such, the Internal Governance And Modernization Project, IGAMP for short, is a unique program designed to develop an internal culture within a players' association. Based on the bedrock principles of successful collective representation, it fosters a system of sustainable representation that produces representatives empowered with the authority to accurately represent their colleagues, resulting in: Improved communication between players, musician and managers, as well as musicians and boards. A cohesive vision for the organization from the players’ perspective. Improved internal organization and governance. Enhanced representation at the committee level. A defined definition of representation. Enhanced negotiation preparation and marginalizing natural stressors during bargaining cycles. Creating a sincere sense of ownership in the organization. The IGAMP process results in a series of easy-to-use operation guidebooks, templates, and resource material designed especially for committee members, representatives, and musicians alike. This work will include how committee members can create unbiased surveys, how representatives should conduct themselves and take notes during meetings (administrative & committee), how to run committee and rank & file meetings, clarifying the committee election process, how to listen to and interact with colleagues, creation of an new member orientation/reference package, creating an institutional history booklet, refine the skill of unbiased representation (otherwise known as the Duty of Fair Representation), how to establish PR relationships with the media, and much more. All of these documents will be created over a predetermined timeline with firm deadlines for deliverables spelled out in a detailed work contract. ANNUAL ORCHESTRA WEBSITE REVIEW Every September since 2004, professional symphonic orchestra websites in the U.S. and Canada examined and ranked by how well they present their concert schedule, sell tickets, provide organizational information, facilitate making donations, and on overall content and functionality. The reviews are published in a series of articles appearing at Adaptistration, a comprehensive index of past reviews is available here. ANNUAL COMPENSATION REPORTS One of the most popular and eagerly anticipated annual events at Adaptistration are the Annual Compensation Reports. Published in June of each year, the reports examine the compensation trends among orchestra executives, music directors, concertmasters, and base musicians at 76 professional U.S. orchestras. A comprehensive index of past reports are available here. Although the compensation tables are removed at the beginning of Fall each year, the copy from each article is available at all times. Furthermore, you can follow compensation trends as back to the 1999/00 season in The Adaptistration Compensation Report print edition. The print edition is an ideal resource for mangers, conductors, agents, musicians, students, journalists, academic libraries, or anyone interested in learning more about compensation trends inside the U.S. professional orchestra business.
	ADAPTISTRATION
	A•dapt•is•tra•tion n. 1. a form of management capable of modifying to suit rapidly changing conditions. 2 a flexible model of governance which adopts an inclusive set of policies and principles. 3 a weblog on orchestra management. Adaptistration is the only dedicated weblog about orchestra management issues. Since its inaugural post in November 3rd, 2003, Adaptistration has quickly established itself as the "must read" online orchestra business column for managers, board members, musicians, and patrons. Having established itself as the resource of its kind, Adaptistration not only serves to provide input on business issues but it also functions as a hub for interactive discussions for issues, garnering a significant amount of commentary from its readers, the issues and events examined in its pages. Adaptistration continues to serve as a reference source for those wishing to learn about the business behind how orchestras operate. As an insider’s resource, the weblog serves as a light into the otherwise murky mystery that is orchestra management for both the novice and experienced. Over time Adaptistration has evolved from an informal hub for ideas into a powerhouse of meaningful discussion. Furthermore, it has grown into becoming the single largest free source for creative new solutions to the problems which face orchestras today. Visit Adaptistration today and find out why thousands of readers have made it a daily stop on their internet travels.
	INSIDE THE ARTS
	Inside The Arts is your gateway to a behind-the-scenes look into the world of performing arts. You'll find a clearinghouse of the latest articles from some of the most insightful and diverse group of professionals who make their living immersed in the world of performing arts. Given the cumulative wealth of experience our cultural experts retain, you are bound to learn more about the arts with each and every visit. As such, readers are encouraged to submit comments, which are moderated by the respective article’s author. Commentary, opinions, and reactions to all comment posts are welcome so don’t be shy about offering up your opinion. After all, blogs function best in an environment of lively discourse so your participation is bound to shape how each blog evolves.
	NEO CLASSICAL
	Between February 2004 and May, 2007 Mr. McManus authored Neo Classical, a featured column at The Partial Observer which examined the future of classical music. During that period, his articles sparked national discussion on topics such as performance enhancing drugs for musicians and the string instrument purchase that scandalized the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. In 2005, Mr. McManus was among the first U.S. cultural administrators and journalists to spend more than a full week in Caracas, Venezuela as an official guest of the government to study the Fundacion del Estado para el Sistema Nacional de las Orquestras Juveniles e Infantiles, commonly referred to as “El Sistema,” which resulted in the first detailed series of articles in the U.S. highlighting the program and its accomplishments. The quartet of articles were published exclusively at Neo Classical. You can find an index of all of Mr. McManus’ articles as well as those written by Neo Classical’s new author, Holly Mulcahy, here.