Museums in a troubled world: renewal, irrelevance or collapse?

In the early 2000s the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal (OSM), one of Montreal's foremost cultural institutions, underwent two upheavals. First management was thrown into turmoil by the unexpected departure of the OSM's celebrated music director, Charles Dutoit, just as the orchestra and its Swiss conductor were about to mark 25 years of successful partnership with celebrations planned for the 2002-03 season. Then, in May 2005, the orchestra's management and board were faced with a strike by the orchestra's musicians. The authors describe the efforts of the orchestra's general manager, Madeleine Careau, to revive its fortunes, notably through a campaign to restore the OSM's prestige, which had been severely eroded by these two events. With the support of internal and external collaborators, Careau turned her attention to the most pressing issues, namely the choice of a new conductor, the orchestra's planned new concert hall and the creation of a foundation to ensure stable, long-term financing for the OSM. To help bring this recovery plan to fruition, Careau drew on her extensive network of contacts. An all-female leadership team was formed at the OSM, as Careau called on Melanie La Couture (CEO), Helene Desmarais (deputy board chair) and Monique Jérôme-Forget (chair of the Quebec treasury board) to use their talents, expertise and influence to give new lustre to the OSM at home and abroad.