In April I shared with members of the Quad City Wind Ensemble that our organization was proudly more solvent that the venerable Philadelphia Orchestra! Of course, this was on the heels of that ensemble's filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The recent word from the city of brotherly love isn't much better. A recent article stated that the orchestra had, thus far, rung up over $1.6 million in legal fees with a total projected to push $3 million! For an organization with an endowment in excess of $120 million this seems like a gross dereliction of duty by the orchestra's management. Who is the winner in this attempt to escape from the orchestra's creditors? The lawyers, of course!
Of course, such things do not occur overnight, but many will insist that the Philadelphia Orchestra has lost a great deal of its luster since the glory days during the long tenures of Leopold Stokowski and Eugene Ormandy. Was there an American orchestra more widely recorded than the Philadelphia? And what exactly has happened to that vaunted "Philadelphia sound," established by Stokowski and perpetuated by Ormandy? Well, in my mind it all started with Riccardo Muti (I'll openly admit that I've never been a fan); I have recordings from the Muti years that don't hold a candle to his predecessors. Of course he openly admitted that his approach to the repertoire would be a radical departure from what had made Philadelphia much different from the generic sound coming out of most American orchestras. And where is he now? Oh yeah, he's the new guy in Chicago and has had an auspicious opening season with not one but two health crises that drastically limited his concerts.
The Baltimore Symphony, which froze musician's salaries last season and will slash them over 16% during the next two seasons. A glance at the "comments" section of Mr. Lebrecht's article indicates that the numbers quoted paint a completely different version of reality.
The Columbus (Ohio) Symphony, a fine band: I've heard them play with Yo-Yo Ma has also been forced to cut $1.1 million in payroll.
We know of the problems facing the New York City Opera, which has decided to severely limit its performances and move away from the recently renovated (at the behest of the company) Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. But just today I signed a petition (which also included Placido Domingo and Frederica von Stadt--I'm in good company) urging the company to reconsider. Things do not look good for late mayor LaGuardia's "people's opera." Again--lousy management at a difficult economic time.
Other organizations in trouble include the symphonies of Houston (negative assets over $16 million), Detroit (recovering from a six-month strike caused by inept management), Milwaukee--another fine band that I've heard ($3.3 million deficit), Syracuse, New Mexico, Louisville and Honolulu (all possibly dead in the water).
Maybe it's time to take a close look at the salaries of the conductors, soloists, and management to find places to cut the fat. Our communities need their orchestras to ensure the continuation of our cultural heritage. I know; I sound like a broken record.
Why is the Quad City Wind Ensemble (or the Tri State Wind Symphony for that matter) still financially viable despite difficulty in audience development and the same kinds of problems faced by these cultural stalwarts? We spend within our means; if we need equipment we raise the money to purchase it. If we need music, we beg and borrow. If we decide to bring in a name soloist or commission a new work we seek out grant monies to pay for it. I'm no financial wizard, but it all seems so simple.
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