"How does a composer write a work about a failed President (Johnson) and a probable war criminal (McNamarra) without lapsing into propaganda? Does he have to check his personal opinions at the door? If a middle-class white composer writes music about the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, does he risk being patronizing? In writing a historical symphony does he steal the voices of those who actually went through the struggles of the movement, fought and died in Vietnam?"More information about the piece can be found in this preview video:
<iframe src="http://www.coveritlive.com/index2.php/option=com_altcaster/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=b8e8b85b0c/height=550/width=570" scrolling="no" height="550px" width="570px" frameBorder ="0" allowTransparency="true"><a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=b8e8b85b0c">Orpheus Chamber Orchestra w/ Melinda Wagner</a></iframe>If you're really attached to Life's a Pitch and want to stay here to participate, here you go:
If Facebooking Broadway is all the rage for shows, the real economic engine remains the sales agents wearing old-fashioned headsets and tapping through decades-old databases to pitch group buyers working with churches and synagogues, schools and businesses, and the "theater ladies" who have kept the Wednesday matinee in business since before Steve Jobs founded Apple.It seems people want to talk to someone who has actually gone to these shows (the article reports that most agents have seen the popular shows several times) rather than just be inundated with self-produced buzz:
...Take Group Sales Box Office, founded in 1960 and today one of the most profitable group ticket agencies on Broadway. The company projects sales in excess of $30 million this year, with "Sister Act" (its current top seller with groups) accounting for more than $1 million in tickets so far. Located just off Times Square and across the street from the Broadway revival of Tom Stoppard's "Arcadia" (a show that has not been a group magnet for them), the company and its 22 sales agents may still be version 1.0 in Broadway discounting and promotions, but in terms of results, they are the hare to social networking's turtle. Ticket orders were up 43 percent from Feb. 1 to April 1, compared to the same period in 2010.
The four-minute phone call was enough to induce mental whiplash, but Mr. Campbell and his fellow brokers were pros at the chief duty that some Web sites have only begun to master: aggregating details about the 39 Broadway shows this spring and then differentiating them for longtime customers whose preferences are reflected in databases listing their past purchases. (For example, past groups for the drag musical "La Cage aux Folles" are the prime target for "Priscilla" sales calls.)My dad will only buy TVs/stereo equipment from this one guy in Stamford, CT. Jack Watkins at County Appliance. "Located on Summer Street," dad texts me now. I tried to buy a TV from Best Buy or whatever once because I had a coupon and their prices were lower, and dad simply wouldn't allow it. He trusts Jack Watkins alone, and County Appliance is where we Ameers buy our TVs. I wonder if a comparable trust can be built through social media. "That person's links are always funny," "the shows that person goes to are always great," "that person seems to have a fabulous life, I will do what they do in an attempt to emulate it," etc.. I can't think of any one person, myself, which may be exactly the point of social media: it's not any one person's recommendation that matters, but rather, a collective, a critical mass, of recommendations that ultimately sways potential buyers.
I started this contest a month ago on a whim. I was writing programme notes for the RNCM and tweeted that I was having trouble with word creep... one of those mundane details Twitter disparagers claim not to be interested in. @pattyoboe, an oboist blogger from California suggested I should tweet the notes. That seemed impractical but then I thought, what about opera? Tweets are the perfect antidote to convoluted plot summaries...so I launched the contest with a single Tweet. I only had about 50 followers at the time but word got out and by the time the contest ended three days later, the whole world (ok, the whole opera world) knew about it.
We understand the interest in this story and that everyone wants us to find the missing snake. Right now, it's the snake's game. At this point, it's just like fishing; you put the hook in the water and wait. Our best strategy is patience, allowing her time to come out of hiding. We remain confident that the snake is contained within the Reptile House.
When we discovered the snake was missing on Friday, we immediately secured the building and conducted a search of all accessible areas. Sweeping searches continue on a daily basis. In addition, we implemented a system for tracking any movement by the snake that would help aid in its capture. The difficulty is that the 20-inch, pencil-thin snake, which is months old and weighs less than 3 ounces, has sought out a secure hiding spot within the Reptile House. The holding areas of the Reptile House are extremely complex environments with pumps, motors and other mechanical systems. In this complex environment, she will likely remain in hiding and not move until she feels completely secure. As her comfort level rises, she will begin to move around the building to seek food and water.
As this may take days or even weeks, daily updates should not be expected. As the situation changes we will share any information with you. But now, we need to focus our attention and energy on recovery strategies.
Jim Breheny
SVP for WCS and Bronx Zoo Director
Updated: 3/28/2011
"Right now, IT'S THE SNAKE'S GAME!" I mean, isn't it always?
TOP TEN THINGS TO SAY (NOT TO SAY) TO A CONDUCTOR BACKSTAGESo you're welcome: now you can go into at least ten terrible concerts armed with euphemism.
1. "You should have been in the audience"
2. "Superb is not the word"
3. "Wow!"
4. "Leonard Bernstein never did it like that"
5. "I heard things in that performance I've didn't even know were in the piece."
6. "I'm speechless"
7. "I really loved the last note."
8. "You did it again."
9. "Now I understand"
10. "Fascinating!"