Labor History of US Symphonies Focus of New Book
Author Julie Ayer brings an insider perspective to the story of a nonprofit sector that evolved an alternative to pure top-down management.
The Boston Globe reviews the book "More Than Meets The Ear: How Symphony Musicians Made Labor History," of course available on Amazon. Ms. Ayers is the principal second violinist with the Minnesota Orchestra (Minnesota Orchestral Association EIN 41-0693875 Form 990).
There is some early history and tidbits like the fact that US orchestra musicians typically stood during concerts until the mid nineteenth century (and often doubled as ushers).
But the main story is that of the organization of the symphony orchestra by the American Federation of Musicians (labor union HQ EIN 22-1476432 Form 990), and the later emergence of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (labor union EIN 13-4147698 Form 990).
This perspective serves as an alternative to more common top-down perspective of nonprofit organization studies that puts all the emphasis on board and executive. The alternative model, where staff professionals also have a somewhat autonomous role, has a wider application, for instance:
- in hospitals (where doctors, nurses, and other practitioners have their own professional organizations and roles) and
- in education (where faculty usually has its own organizational structures independent of the administration).
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