Privately Held and Managing Well: The English Chamber Orchestra at 40

D. Chong, R. J. Trappey, III

Derrick Chong has studied business administration and art history at universities in Canada and earned a PhD from the University of London for a comparative analysis of managerialism in art museums. His research projects tend towards management and the arts, including a study (published by Routledge) of arts management as a new subdiscipline. 
Randolph J. Trappey, III, received classical training as a violinist; he also has gained extensive professional marketing experience in the United States, the United Kingdom and India. His interest in marketing research focuses on automatic cognitive processing and building predictive statistical models of brand evaluative attributes and choices for advertisers. Both authors are lecturers in marketing at Royal Holloway College, University of London.

ABSTRACT 
The year 2000/01 represents the 40th season of the English Chamber Orchestra. As a privately held arts organization, the ECO is an example of cultural entrepreneurship, namely that of Quintin Ballardie, artistic director and principal violist, demonstrating that artistic excellence and market forces need not be antithetical. This article highlights the role of individual initiative in establishing artistic and administrative stability. It is not intended as an argument against public subsidy of the arts.
KEYWORDS
English Chamber Orchestra, cultural entrepreneurship, orchestral management, artistic excellence, arts in the United Kingdom
RÉSUMÉ
La saison 2000-2001 marque le 40e anniversaire de l’English Chamber Orchestra. Organisme privé, l’orchestre illustre bien l’entrepreneuriat culturel. Son directeur artistique et premier altiste, Quintin Ballardie, démontre que l’excellence sur le plan artistique et les forces du marché ne sont pas forcément antithétiques. L’article souligne le rôle de l’initiative individuelle dans la création d’une stabilité artistique et administrative et ne se veut nullement un argument contre le soutien public des arts.
MOTS CLÉS 
English Chamber Orchestra, entrepreneuriat culturel, gestion d’un orchestre, excellence artistique, arts au Royaume-Uni
RESUMEN 
La temporada 2000/2001 será la cuadragésima de la English Chamber Orchestra. La ECO, una entidad artística privada, es un modelo del espíritu empresarial en el campo de la cultura sobre todo de la iniciativa de Quintin Ballardie, su director artístico y principal violinista. Este ejemplo comprueba que la excelencia artística y las fuerzas presentes en el mercado no son necesariamente antitéticas. Los autores destacan cómo la iniciativa individual puede ayudar a establecer una estabilidad artística y administrativa. Este artículo no pretende ser un argumento en contra de los subsidios gubernamentales para las artes.
PALABRAS CLAVE 
English Chamber Orchestra, espíritu empresarial en el campo de la cultura, administración de una orquesta, excelencia artística, las artes en el Reino Unido