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- The Cost of being Average
Good Morning,
Two stories today work the same question from opposite ends: what’s worth paying for once competence is free? Fast Company makes the blunt case that average-quality work — the reliable professional output most careers are built on — now carries close to zero market value (Fast Company). Nature takes up the other half, asking whether a machine that has mastered competence could ever produce the leap that produced relativity (Nature). If the answer stays no, the premium doesn’t vanish. It moves.
Institutions are having a parallel argument about whose currency they’re valued in. The BBC has to renegotiate the terms of its own existence every decade, and the charter process now underway will be settled largely out of public view (The Guardian). Netflix, which spent years insisting box office was a dead metric, will report grosses for the first time — for an Oscar contender (The Wrap).
Underneath, the middle keeps thinning: Detroit’s symphony has cut three staff positions (Encore Michigan), and Bristol Old Vic is offering buyouts (Bristol Live).
In Nairobi, acrobats have worked out that the city’s traffic jams are a venue (AP). No discovery problem, no ticketing problem, and the audience can’t leave.
All of our stories below.
- The Acrobats Who Entertain Drivers Stuck In Nairobi’s Horrendous Traffic Jams
“Nairobi’s street acrobats first began appearing in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they have since become normalized at traffic stops in and around the city, with acrobats taking advantage of gridlocks to perform in exchange for cash tips. It is how they earn a living.” – AP
- What Jonathan Swift Warned Us About Reading
“Far from merely raising a reactionary fist in the air at the new science, Swift identified an attitude that is still around today — and one that has created many of the greatest challenges now facing educators.” – The Dial
- How, And Why, The BBC Must Renegotiate The Terms Of Its Existence Every Decade
The BBC’s charter, the legal document which enables the national broadcaster’s existence, must be renewed every ten years. That renewal results from a multi-year negotiation, with plenty of public participation, between the network and the national government — a process largely hidden from public view. – The Guardian
- For The First Time, Netflix Will Report Box Office Numbers
Netflix will start reporting box office grosses with its upcoming expected Oscar contender, “La Bola Negra,” a queer drama from directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi that the mega-streamer acquired after its acclaimed premiere at Cannes earlier this year. – The Wrap
- Louisville’s Speed Museum Gets A New Leader
The Speed Art Museum, which is Kentucky’s oldest and largest museum with around 15,000 objects in its collection, will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year. – ARTnews
- Bristol Old Vic, One Of UK’s Top Regional Theatres, Announces Staff Buyouts
The company, saying it needs to cut personnel costs by 5%, is launching what it calls a “‘Voluntary Leavers Scheme.” Britain’s oldest continuously operating theatre, the Bristol Old Vic has for years been struggling with a pandemic-related decline in attendance and sharp reductions in arts funding from the city. – Bristol Live
- When “Average-Level” Work Is Worth Nothing
When competent work is available at nearly zero cost, it provides little competitive advantage. We have seen versions of this value shift before: Cloud computing changed the skills required to manage infrastructure and GPS reduced the value of navigational skills. AI brought on a similar reset across a broader range of knowledge work. – Fast Company
- Could AI Ever Make a Relativity-Level Discovery?
As philosophers of science have long recognized, that such advances require not inductive reasoning that derives a general rule from the accumulation of data or examples, but abductive reasoning: “a creative leap that invents a cause for a singular phenomenon”. – Nature
- Arts Centre Melbourne Workers’ Conflicts To Win Better Pay
Where in most other industries bargaining occurs between workers and employers, in subsidised cultural institutions wage negotiations are often inseparable from questions of government support. – The Conversation
- Brussels’s Big, Contentious, Expensive New Contemporary Art Museum Has Set Its Opening Date
“After a crisis-ridden decade of planning and renovations and more than €250 million ($290 million), the 430,000-square-foot Kanal-Centre Pompidou complex is set to open on November 28, when it will become the Belgian capital city’s only major modern and contemporary art museum.” – ARTnews
- The Market For Non-Fiction Is Collapsing
The nonfiction collapse has profound implications for the industry. Nonfiction, historically, has always been seen as the more stable part of the business for logical reasons. The demand for nonfiction has always felt more predictable than fiction. – Dear Head of Mine
- Helen Vendler On Inhabiting Poetry
Vendler spent a lifetime – which ended in April 2024 – writing about lyric poetry. She believed literary criticism was about the pleasure of describing complex things and conveying the joy of understanding them to others. – London Review of Books
- London’s Bayeux Mania
When it arrived at the British Museum in mid-July from its home in Bayeux, northern France, news channels covered the tapestry’s return as though it were a returning war hero rather than an embroidery inside a crate in the back of a truck. The interest has barely let up since. – The New York Times
- 55-Year-Old Tenor Dies Onstage Mid-Performance
Joaquín Ledesma Marquina, a singer and choral conductor who was at the heart of a growing vocal music scene in the city of Querétaro, was giving a concert at the Centro de las Artes there when he suffered a heart attack. – OperaWire
- San Francisco’s Flagship Public Media Station Pays $895K To Settle Wage-Theft Lawsuit
“The (class-action) lawsuit … alleged that KQED failed to properly pay hourly workers and provide legally required meal and rest breaks. The complaint also accused the outlet of failing to provide accurate wage statements, reimburse certain employee expenses, timely pay final wages and produce employment records when requested.” – San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
- Can The 9/11 Museum Keep Going Like This?
“As one of New York’s most popular cultural destinations, it faces a number of challenges: how to evolve its sensitive content, reach a generation with no memory of the tragedy, and secure its financial future as former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, its primary benefactor, ages.” – The New York Times
- Fired Trinity Wall Street Music Director Gets Probation For Possession Of Child Sexual Abuse Material
“The formerly prominent conductor Julian Wachner has been sentenced to nearly six years of probation after having pleaded guilty in July to five counts of possession of child sex abuse material and one count of possession of cocaine. Wachner must also register as a sex offender.” – NPR
- Vice President of Human Resources and Labor Relations – LA Opera via TOC Arts Partners
About the Opportunity
As one of the leading opera companies in the world, Los Angeles Opera began in 1986 as an outgrowth of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Arts Festival. With an annual budget of approximately $50 million and a year-round, full-time staff of 95 plus an additional 900 seasonal and part-time employees, the company currently presents five mainstage productions in its home at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown Los Angeles, as well as smaller scale presentations in other venues.
This critical role offers the chance to lead all human resources, organizational culture, and labor relations for the company as a key thought partner to, and direct report of, the CEO. Working closely with the entire executive team and board, they will ensure that strategic people initiatives bolster the organization’s commitment to artistic brilliance and mission-driven impact while maintaining the fiscal health and long-term vitality of the institution.
About LA Opera
Presenting benchmark productions of the standard repertoire alongside new and rarely staged works, LA Opera is a pillar of the Southern California arts community and the fourth-largest opera company in the United States. The company brings together world-renowned singers, conductors, directors, and designers to create opera that attracts the attention of audiences and critics nationally and internationally. Its seasons are wide-ranging, inviting Angelenos to experience beloved classics, rediscovered masterpieces and contemporary works across the mainstage, Off Grand, and other programs.
LA Opera has earned distinction for ambitious artistic initiatives that extend beyond individual productions. Since launching Recovered Voices in 2007, the company has maintained an unparalleled commitment to presenting works by composers whose lives and careers were affected by the Holocaust. Its first complete Ring cycle in 2010 inspired Ring Festival LA, a countywide exploration of the work’s cultural significance that became a model for subsequent multidisciplinary festivals, including Britten 100/LA, Figaro Unbound and Eurydice Found. These initiatives reflect LA Opera’s conviction that opera can serve as a catalyst for discovery, dialogue and civic engagement throughout Los Angeles.
Beyond the stage of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, LA Opera reaches communities across the region through adventurous Off Grand presentations and extensive learning and engagement programs. The company embraces its role as both an artistic leader and a civic institution, creating opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to encounter opera and participate in the cultural life of Los Angeles.
Christopher Koelsch has served as President and CEO since 2012, having joined LA Opera in 1997 and subsequently holding a series of artistic and executive leadership positions. The company enters its 40th anniversary season at a significant moment of artistic and institutional momentum. Domingo Hindoyan began his tenure as Music Director in July 2026, succeeding James Conlon, who concluded an acclaimed 20-year tenure and now serves as Conductor Laureate. Together, Koelsch and Hindoyan are building on four decades of achievement while shaping an ambitious and sustainable future for opera in Los Angeles.
Meet Domingo Hindoyan, Los Angeles Opera’s New Music Director (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT3nWA4KOKk)
Job Description
Reporting directly to the President and CEO, the Vice President of Human Resources and Labor Relations provides strategic leadership for the company’s human resources function, with responsibility for labor strategy and collective bargaining, executive counsel and employee relations, and the continued development of a modern, effective HR operation. The role also oversees compensation and benefits, talent acquisition, organizational development, workforce planning, professional learning, internal communications, EDIB initiatives, and compliance.
The Vice President will work across an unusually varied workforce encompassing administrative employees, artists, musicians, stage personnel, craftspeople, and other seasonal and union represented employees. Success will require fluency in institutional strategy, day-to-day employee relations, and the distinctive artistic, financial, and operational realities of a producing performing arts organization.
The work is based at the company’s offices at The Music Center in downtown Los Angeles. LA Opera maintains a hybrid workplace with personnel working onsite at its offices for a minimum of three days during the standard workweek. While remote work is available for the remaining days, all schedules remain subject to the institution’s evolving operational and production requirements. Notably, members of the executive leadership team typically maintain a more significant presence onsite than the established minimum policy.
Key Responsibilities – What You’ll Get to Do Here
The Vice President will lead this broad portfolio through sound prioritization, strong project management, and close partnership with executive leadership, department heads, external advisors, and an HR associate. The Vice President is fully supported by pro bono labor counsel. The work must be grounded in collaboration, confidentiality, clear communication, sound judgment, and trust. The successful candidate will have deep experience in as many of the following areas as possible:
Executive Leadership
- Act as a key advisor to the President and CEO, the executive leadership, and the Board on all matters involving human capital, organizational efficacy, and workplace culture.
- Function as the primary administrative liaison to the Board of Directors’ HR and EDIB committees.
- Collaborate with a board member dedicated as pro bono labor counsel in all areas of employment policy.
- Represent the executive leadership at institutional gatherings, performances, and community events to support broader donor and stakeholder relations.
Organizational Culture, Employee Engagement & EDIB
- Partner with the executive team and department heads to cultivate a workplace that mirrors LA Opera’s values: artistic brilliance, accountability, collaboration, and deep employee engagement.
- Lead EDIB strategies that strengthen belonging and organizational connection while improving the employee experience, recruiting and retention.
- Lead organizational design and change-management efforts that ensure institutional stability, operational efficiency, and professional excellence.
- Elevate leadership development and professional growth initiatives throughout the organization via targeted coaching, performance management, talent development, and robust succession planning.
- Monitor organizational climate and develop targeted interventions that improve workplace effectiveness, employee well-being, and the overall employee experience.
- Lead internal communications that promote transparency and institutional alignment.
Labor Relations
- Provide overarching vision and tactical execution for labor relations.
- Forge and sustain constructive labor-management partnerships across the organization’s nine collective bargaining agreements, balancing institutional stability, fiscal responsibility, operational agility, and the interests of represented employees.
- Serve as the chief spokesperson and lead negotiator during all collective bargaining sessions.
- Design negotiation frameworks that support fiscal health while fostering productive, long-term labor-management partnerships, with full support from pro bono labor counsel.
- Partner with Finance to model and evaluate the budgetary and operational implications of labor proposals.
- Provide strategic counsel to the Artistic and Production departments to integrate labor considerations into daily operational planning.
- Direct contract administration, including grievance management, dispute resolution, and preparation for any necessary arbitration.
- Stay abreast of labor trends and regulatory shifts within the nonprofit performing arts and entertainment landscape.
Human Resources Leadership
- Direct the full scope of human resources policies, programs, and professional services for the entire institution, aligning them with the company’s mission, values, and long-term operational requirements.
- Execute equitable and competitive compensation and benefits programs that align with modern workforce standards, fiscal responsibility, and organizational goals.
- Oversee sensitive employee relations matters, including workplace investigations, conflict resolution, and performance evaluation systems.
- Lead efforts in talent acquisition, onboarding, and workforce development to ensure a stable and skilled staff.
- Oversee HRIS platforms and data governance to ensure operational excellence and the security of confidential records.
Compliance & Risk Management
- Ensure compliance with federal and state employment laws, with particular expertise in California requirements.
- Advise the executive team on regulatory developments, emerging employment risks, and appropriate institutional responses.
- Collaborate with legal counsel to address emerging labor relations issues and complex employment matters.
Candidate Profile & Qualifications
- A minimum of ten years of leadership experience within human resources and labor relations, specifically within highly unionized environments.
- A background in the performing arts sector is preferred.
- A proven track record of success in chief spokesperson roles for collective bargaining and the nuanced management of complex labor-management partnerships.
- Fluency with federal and state-specific employment statutes and labor regulations and the dynamic between them.
- The professional maturity to serve as a high-level advisor to executive leadership, effectively shaping long-term institutional strategy.
- Superior competencies in organizational leadership, transparent communication, and sophisticated negotiation, alongside expert-level facilitation and dispute resolution.
- Extensive experience directing cultural transformation and change management efforts while maintaining a steadfast commitment to advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging.
Compensation
The salary range for this leadership role is $250,000 to $275,000. Los Angeles Opera recognizes that a comprehensive total rewards philosophy is essential to institutional excellence and the long-term vitality of our workforce. The organization is dedicated to providing a multifaceted health and wellness portfolio that emphasizes accessibility, quality, and individual choice. This commitment includes offering competitive benefit structures, robust health insurance options, and strategic programs designed to bolster financial security and retirement readiness.
Application Instructions
The Vice President of Human Resources and Labor Relations search is being conducted on behalf of Los Angeles Opera by TOC Arts Partners, a national consultancy aligning strategies, structures, and leadership toward a thriving cultural sector. The search is being led by Senior Consultant Ed Yim, in consultation with and support from the TOC Arts Partners search team.
To apply, visit the online application and submit your materials. Your cover letter should include any training or experience relevant to the job profile that you would like to highlight, why you consider yourself a good fit for this opportunity, and anything else you’d like us to know about your qualifications that may not be present in your resume.
For general questions or nominations of prospective candidates, please contact:
searchteam@tocartspartners.com. We kindly request no phone calls.Specific questions about the position may be directed to:
Ed Yim, Senior Consultant: ed@tocartspartners.comApplications will be accepted until this role is filled. We encourage you to apply by October 9 for priority consideration. Interviews may begin at any time, and we encourage you to apply as early as possible for best consideration. Please note that applying before the priority deadline does not guarantee an interview, and all applicants will receive a response regarding the consideration and status of their candidacy.
Not sure you meet 100% of our qualifications? Research shows that cis men apply for jobs when they fulfill an average of 60% of the criteria, while others tend only to apply if they meet every requirement. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We are dedicated to considering a broad array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. So, whether you’re returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or taking the next step in your career path, we will be glad to have you on our radar.
MORE
- Detroit Symphony Quietly Lays Off Three Key Staffers
“Last week leadership at the DSO informed employees that the positions of Director of Safety & Security, Manager of Volunteer & Patron Experiences, and Director of Culture & Inclusion had all been eliminated and that the responsibilities connected to these positions would now be managed by other members of the current staff.” – Encore Michigan
- Robert Pinsky Wins Poetry Foundation’s $100,000 Ruth Lilly Prize
“Pinsky, an acclaimed poet and translator who served as U.S. laureate under the auspices of the Library of Congress from 1997-2000, won the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize. He has long enjoyed recognition beyond the poetry world, even making public appearances with fellow New Jersey native Bruce Springsteen.” – AP
- Getty Center In L.A. Temporarily Closed Due To Brush Fire
The fire, which was reported around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, apparently broke out near the Getty Center parking lot and progressed along the 405 Freeway. The blaze was contained later that evening and evacuation orders have been lifted, but the museum will remain closed on Thursday. – Los Angeles Times (Yahoo!)
- Europe’s Largest Center For Dance Is Now Under Construction In The Netherlands
“Located on a prominent site in Rotterdam’s historic docklands, … Danshuis will be the largest centre in Europe dedicated to the production and development of dance under one roof. Open to all ages and levels of experience, it will provide facilities for both professional and amateur dance-making.” – Gramilano
- Many Students Are Sick Of AI
“Obviously, failing and struggling is not fun, but the sense of pride and succeeding afterwards is very, very motivating for me. And I don’t think you’d get that same kick or that same hit from getting a ninety from ChatGPT versus getting a ninety over an essay where you spent six hours in a basement.” – The Walrus
- Scott Rudin Is Back On Broadway Again — And These Next Projects Are Pretty Brave
The first, starting previews next month, is Bruce Norris’s Downstate, about four convicted sex offenders, one of whom is confronted by a now-adult victim. The second has less fraught subject matter; in fact, it has almost no words at all. Bess Wohl’s Small Mouth Sounds stars Julia Roberts and Paul Rudd. – The Hollywood Reporter
- Lonnie Bunch’s Smithsonian Legacy
Through a combination of principled stances and deft political skills, he has kept the sprawling institution on mission and aligned with its public. – The Atlantic
- Will The Lucas Museum Disrupt Museums?
The museum calls it “narrative art,” defined as art “created to tell stories through images.” George Lucas and his wife, Mellody Hobson, have also described their collection as “the people’s art.” – Los Angeles Times
- London Loses Another Theatre Company As The Gate Shuts Down
“The Gate Theatre, which has punched above its weight ever since it was founded above a Notting Hill pub in 1979, is to close permanently next month. The announcement comes four years after the theatre had what it described as a ‘devastating’ 100% cut to its Arts Council England funding.” – The Guardian
- The Making Of American Sophistication
Sophistication, one begins to think, is a thing won against the grain of privilege—a substitute for it, a social sleight of hand. A “classy” entertainer is almost never someone from the upper classes; sophisticated people are mostly smart people passing as rich people. – The New Yorker
- Jerome Foundation works to close the Hope GapJerome Foundation announces an unprecedented increase in grantmaking this year, helping their grantees persevere and innovate in challenging times.
- Hungary’s New Government Cancels New Museum
Hungary’s new government has scrapped plans for a New National Gallery that was to form part of a development in Budapest’s City Park (Városliget) aimed at elevating the capital’s cultural standing. – The Art Newspaper
- Contractors Sue $1B Lucas Museum Over Unpaid Bills
The suit, one of four recently brought by contractors alleging nonpayment, claims the museum “actively promoted, contracted, and labeled the construction as a ‘private, non-profit development’ to bypass the rigorous administrative, registration, and bonding mandates of the California Public Contract Code, Civil Code, and Labor Code.” – Los Angeles Times (MSN)
- How Allen Ginsburg’s “Howl” Became A Free-Speech Landmark
In 1957, undercover police bought a copy of the poetry collection which featured “Howl” at City Lights bookstore in San Francisco — and proceeded to arrest owner Lawrence Ferlinghetti and manager Shig Murao for selling obscene material. Their trial set a major precedent in First Amendment case law. – BBC (MSN)
- We Need Word Detectives
We appreciate that each of us is a link in a millennia-long chain of language, connected to people over the centuries by the words they bequeathed us. Following where, and through whom, that chain has passed is the business of etymology. – Psyche
- The Meaning Of Lonnie Bunch Leaving The Smithsonian
What this administration cannot capture directly of the country’s culture, it destroys with chaos, making life intolerable for people who persevere in the audacious belief that things like “the increase and diffusion of knowledge” actually matter. – Washington Post (Yahoo)