StillArt
Magnus Still
Magnus Still has studied both the cello and orchestra conducting. His formal degree is in philosophy and political science from the University of Helsinki. In 1992, he founded StillArt to create a formal structure for his work as an artist manager, later to run his own symphony orchestra, and then ten festivals in four countries between the years of 1995-2000. In 2000-2001, he served as the CEO of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, growing the orchestra’s budget 15% and turning around dwindling audience numbers. His projects and festivals during this short period won recognition, among them initiating a cycle of Messiaen’s works for symphony orchestra. In 2011, he was hired by Jakobstads Sinfonietta, as the newly established group was in an urgent leadership crisis. Within a year, he built a dedicated team that balanced the budget, grew revenue 60%, and established a hugely successful subscription series. In addition, Magnus has worked in various positions at different festivals, other orchestras and venues.
Magnus is the author of the book Effective Marketing by Classical Music Promoters. 9 Case Studies in High Level Audience Growth published in 2006. The research behind and findings in the book formed the foundation of recreating StillArt as a consultancy company. In 2016 he launches the book Fill Every Seat – EVERY Week. The Power of Subscriptions and How to Make Them Work Today, summarizing insights into how to build strong and stable performing arts organizations.
Magnus is currently the CEO of StillArt Limited, and as Project Manager, actively participates in most of the company’s projects. He is also Chairperson of StillArt’s Subscription Advisory Board that oversees and continuously develops the company’s signatory service Subscription Builder.