Is Concert Clothing Tax Deductible?
February 25, 2010 In: TaxesQuestion: Posted February 22, 2010 at 1:39 PM by Brittney Stanton Mr. Hunt, I’m a young musician filing taxes as an independent for the first time and could use your help. Can I deduct any of the concert attire or music that I purchase? Brittney, There are two parts to your question: for the answer […]
The hottest seat
February 24, 2010 In: UncategorizedMy BBB Charles Noble wrote a good post the other day on the perils of being an assistant principal string player: This morning, at the dress rehearsal for this weekend’s classical program, my principal had to leave midway through the rehearsal for personal reasons. It took place during the middle of the first movement of […]
TMI and the cult of personality
February 23, 2010 In: UncategorizedThe other New York Times piece to which I referred in the last post was on Manfred Honeck, music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony, and focused to a remarkable extent on his religious beliefs: Manfred Honeck, the music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, is a Roman Catholic who prays before every concert, sometimes in […]
Conductors and the cult of personality
February 22, 2010 In: UncategorizedTwo conductor profiles in the New York Times in recent days highlight the dangers of thinking that conductors are special people. The first was on Riccardo Muti, and was an unadulterated puff piece: Realizing that the Met musicians might not have been familiar with the opera, he occasionally paused to clue them in on the […]
New Article: Spokane Symphony's Endowed Chair
February 18, 2010 In: UncategorizedJulie Ayer, author of More Than Meets the Ear, How Symphony Musicians Made Labor History, a history of the founding of ICSOM and symphonic unionism, has written a very moving tribute to her mother and sister, both violinists in the Spokane Symphony. They overlapped in the orchestra for 12 years, and both held the 4th […]
Tax Questions
February 17, 2010 In: TaxesOriginal Question: Can performing artists (say, orchestra members, working in several groups as employee) deduct mileage to rehearsals and concerts? It is typical in our area for musicians to play in 2 or three symphony orchestras in neighboring communities – and the mileage can really mount up! And yet they are “employees”, getting a W-2. […]
Your Tax Questions Answered Here
In: TaxesIt’s that time of year and as a service to you, our loyal readers, our resident musician/MBA/tax expert, Bill Hunt will answer your tax questions right here until April 15th. So–don’t be bashful. Ask away.
Better seen than heard
In: UncategorizedNorman Lebrecht thinks conductors should STFU: By some intuitive affinity or massive failure of imagination, both Gramophone and BBC Music magazine asked ’10 leading Mahler conductors’ to explain in their current issues what his symphonies mean to them. Three maestros – Zinman, Jansons, Tilson Thomas – took part in both features. The rest included most […]
Why we won't die of Baumol's Disease
February 16, 2010 In: UncategorizedI was at work one night a few weeks ago, waiting for the 3rd movement of the Shostakovich 1st cello concerto to end (no slap at our soloist, Johannes Moser, who played wonderfully, but it’s a long sit with no need to count), when, for some unaccountable reason, I began to think about Baumol’s cost […]
What Do You Consider Success?
February 15, 2010 In: UncategorizedI visited the website, Extra Criticum. As it states on the homepage, “performing arts pros trade opinions, ideas, questions and obsessions.” The bloggers published here cover a wide range disciplines in the Arts, so it’s not just a music site. And I was interested in a posting by Rolando Teco, since he writes about “success.” […]