The situation facing the Nashville Symphony is sad and frustrating. Unfortunately, it is also not atypical.

Symphony officials recently announced that it would default on the bonds for its performance hall--the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

It is not immediately clear what impact this will...

Every once in a while I attend a performance that is so remarkable that I forget about ticket sales, fundraising, budget cutting or any other aspect of my job. I may be sitting in the Kennedy Center's Opera House, but I even forget I work there or have any responsibility...

I have written often about the need for arts organizations across the globe to increase their fundraising capacity to compensate for the steady decline in government support for the arts in most nations. And I still believe this is essential.

But this does not mean I...

The New York City Ballet was in residence at the Kennedy Center recently. I stopped by rehearsal on the afternoon before opening night as has become a custom for me for every dance presentation. I have always loved watching dance rehearsals -- there is a certain freshness and sense of...

I write frequently about the benefits of joint ventures between arts institutions. They can lower cost, improve the quality of work, allow for the development of larger projects and provide access to new artists and audiences.

One has to be careful with joint ventures; if they are not properly designed,...

The leadership of the Metropolitan Opera recently announced that they were lowering most of their ticket prices for next season. At the same time, they announced that it is now clear that their highly successful movie theater broadcasts are cannibalizing ticket sales for their live performances. Neither...

I have written many times that artistic leaders need to dream well into the future about the transformative projects that will excite and surprise their audiences. In fact, the most damaging impact of the current economic challenges facing the arts today is that artists are forced to focus on money...

Arts professionals are an inspiring group; they truly believe in what they do and almost always think that doing more of it is better than doing less. They are convinced they can assist their communities by reaching more people, expanding existing programs and creating new and diverse programming strands. In...

Dear Secretary of State Kerry:

Congratulations on becoming our nation's leading diplomat. Everyone hopes and prays that you will build on the great work of your predecessors to make the world a safer and happier place.

While you have access, no doubt, to a wealth of advice and knowledge, I...

One of the frustrations of being a consultant is that one doesn't have control over the implementation of the plans you develop. Several times in my consulting career I have worked hard on creating plans for an organization only to see them sit on the shelf while the organization struggled....

Many arts organizations are facing a difficult time of year when they are in the midst of their seasons, working hard to find the resources they need to pay all the bills, getting ready to announce their seasons for next year, creating subscription brochures and finishing (or starting) their budget...

For many arts organizations, raising money appears to be the most difficult and least predictable activity. So much so that board members will often suggest just about anything to reduce annual fundraising requirements, from cutting art, to slashing salaries, raising ticket prices or investing in unrelated business areas. The mystery...

A fascinating article recently published in the L.A. Times revealed the results of a new study commissioned by the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund that evaluated reasons why arts organizations and other not-for-profit institutions have problems meeting their fundraising goals. An important observation made by the...

It is official: I am a lame duck. My contract as President of the Kennedy Center expires at the end of next year and the board has just assembled a search committee to look for my successor. I am deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to lead this amazing...

Eight months ago, the Miami City Ballet was a mess. The remarkable Edward Villella was beginning his last season as artistic director, the organization had run out of cash, its executive director had left and the survival of the institution was truly in doubt.

Recently I went to a board...

While reading the financial reports of numerous arts organizations recently, I have been alarmed at how many of them are taking large percentages of their endowment as income each year. Most responsible arts organizations take between 4 percent and 6 percent of their endowments annually as income. This reasonable 'draw'...

Over the holidays there was a fascinating article in the New York Times that revealed the attempts by French museums to use crowdsourcing to raise money. As government funding for the arts has fallen (as it has in most European countries), museums are trying to fill their...

I have been anxious about the precarious nature of this country's arts organizations of color; it is ironic that while minorities are becoming a majority and playing increasingly important political roles, arts organizations of color are at a low ebb. So many are sick or dying. This cannot be good...

I have read many articles and blogs about the need to rethink how large arts organizations function. Owing to the major financial challenges currently faced by ballet companies, opera companies and especially orchestras, there is a call to rethink the current model of operations.

I, too, believe that new ways...

I make it a practice not to criticize other arts organizations by name in my column. I appreciate how difficult it is to serve arts organizations as a manager or board member; the theory of arts management might be simple but the practice is not. And while many of the...