A Tale of One City, and its Two Orchestras

Is this really inviting?

Today's posting of Adaptistration, the blog by arts management consultant Drew McManus, focuses on the twin calamities faced by the symphony orchestras in Detroit and Minneapolis (the Minnesota Orchestra).  Both survived near-crippling labor problems: in Detroit a six-month-long strike and a sixteen-month lockout of musicians by orchestra management in Minnesota.  While the results were difficult and Detroit has come a long way since its disastrous (mostly) cancelled 2011-12 season, both ensembles face a period of rebuilding, as ensembles and in renewed levels of trust among players and their respective managements.

It seems as though news of arts organizations shutting their doors (the San Diego Opera--maybe) or scaling back their seasons (the Indianapolis Opera--definitely) has taken on a life of its own, with dire news appearing on an almost weekly basis.  The most recent casualty appears to be the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra, an ensemble with a 101-year history.  A capsule summary of a recent article in the Green Bay Press Gazette notes:

Green Bay Symphony to play one last season

“It was a very difficult decision to make,” GBSO executive director Dan Linssen said in a statement released Friday. “However, we cannot continue offering high-quality, professional performances not knowing from concert to concert if we’ll be able to cover our costs.”

Music Director Donato Cabrera has apparently thrown in the towel and is skipping town, but not as a result of the announced closure, Linssen said.  

Right.

The reasons for the orchestra's demise are simple:  financial, as the organization never really recovered from the economic turmoil of 2008, a year in which the orchestra was relatively flush with cash.  In examining the GBSO's IRS 990 forms (found here), its been in steady decline ever since.  One has to understand, however, that we're talking about a $30-50k deficit in a budget of approximately $600,000.  This is not a big budget ensemble, nor does the resultant deficit seem overwhelming.  Surely this rate of fiscal decline could have been mostly solved without next year's planned residency and performance with violinist Midori. 

It is also important to note that Executive Director Linssen, when appointed in 2013, had no previous experience in non-profit arts management.  And yet, as the GBSO's press release of January 11, 2013 noted:  Linssen will be responsible for leading the GBSO as it enters its second century. The upcoming 2013/2014 season will be a celebration of GBSO's 100th anniversary and many of the organization's efforts will be directed at positioning for the next century. A key focus will be expanding the Orchestra's relevance to a broader audience, and Linssen will be instrumental in achieving that transformation.

So much for that...

The ensemble is apparently playing to half-sold houses at the 2800-seat Weidner Center on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.  So they're attracting some 1400-1500 patrons to concerts; that's nothing to sneeze at, but it is a matter of public perception.  That many empty seats tells concert-goers that somehow the orchestra isn't what it once was.  They may actually play much better than in the past.  A different (and less costly) venue would be the obvious solution here.  Some possibilities might be the 724-seat Walter Theater at St. Norbert College in nearby DePere (a pair of concerts anyone?)  The beautiful 1500-seat (perfect!) Ralph Holter Auditorium at West High School serves as home to the successful Brown County Civic Music Association performances (it appears as though the Milwaukee Symphony makes a yearly appearance.   

Now, I'm no arts administrator but it seems as though I've probably saved the organization somewhere between $50,000 and $100,000 (or more?)

Why not here? (Holter Auditorium)

UW-GB's Weidner Center

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As a point of comparison, a much different story emerges from the Green Bay Civic Symphony, which was formed some 20 years ago when the GBSO decided to ditch its "amateur" players in favor of "professionals" (which, of course, includes union wage scale).  The ensemble notes that 

The Civic Symphony of Green Bay has as its mission to maintain a community-based organization offering area volunteer musicians (students and adults) the opportunity to perform symphonic literature
in partnership with skilled professionals and to offer these performances to the general public at a price that minimizes financial barriers to attendance.

Further, the Civic Symphony holds as core values the following beliefs that our organization:

• Makes the live symphonic experience accessible to the greatest number and diversity
of persons in this area.
• Strives for artistic excellence in a fiscally prudent manner.
• Provides an opportunity to showcase local talents as soloists.
• Generates education outreach opportunities for adult and student groups.
• Fosters cooperation with other local arts organizations in joint performance.

The Meyer Theater

The Civic Symphony performs in Green Bay's historic 1000-seat Meyer Theater.  It has a part-time staff and performers pay "dues" to participate.  The organization appears to be in good health, judging by a recent "sold-out" performance of Carmina Burana and the ensemble's programing for the 2014-15 season:

CONCERT I – Oct. 4, 2014

Overture to Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Abduction from the Seraglio) … W. A. Mozart
Violin Concerto in D major… Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky

     Wei-Lei Gu, soloist
Symphony No. 5 “Reformation” … Mendelssohn

CONCERT II – Nov. 14, 2014

A Grand, Grand Overture… Malcolm Arnold
Tap Dance Concerto … Morton Gould
Spanish Dance No. 1, from La Vida Breve … Manuel de Falla
Raise the Roof … Michael Daugherty
Pizzicato Polka …Johann Strauss, Jr.
Toreador Song and Aragonaise , from Carmen Suite No. 1… George Bizet
Typewriter Concerto … Leroy Anderson

CONCERT III – Feb. 21, 2015

Overture to West Side Story … Leonard Bernstein
In the South … Edward Elgar
Capriccio Espagnol … Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Performance by winners of Pansky Concerto Competition

CONCERT IV – Apr. 19, 2015

Overture to Russlan and Ludmilla … Mikhail Glinka
Clarinet Concerto in A major, K.622 … W. A. Mozart
     Eric Hanson, soloist
“Build a Symphony” (Combining movements from several popular works)
     Movement I: from Symphony 6

Online and Ballot Voting for movements II and III: $1 per vote

Movement II Options: Symphony 2, 3, and 7
Movement III Options: Symphony 1, 4, and 9
Movement IV: from symphony 5

While this isn't really cutting-edge stuff, it is a far cry from next season's offerings from the professional orchestra:

September 13:  A Star Spangled Celebration

“It’s easier to understand a nation by listening to its music than by learning its language.”

On a September night 200 years ago, Francis Scott Key captured the independence and defiance that characterized the spirit of our young nation as he penned the Star Spangled Banner. Over the past 200 years American music has often defined who we are as a people.

This concert will honor the 200th anniversary of our national anthem (actually, the SSB was adopted as our national anthem in 1931) with music of great American songwriters who always seemed to understand the soul of our country. Whether in war or peace, in cities or under the big sky, during prosperity and desperation, these songs reminded us of the bonds that connect us all.

The website offers no other program information.

December 19 and 20:  Holiday Pops

Few events evoke the Christmas Spirit as thoroughly as the annual Holiday Pops concert. The Green Bay Symphony Orchestra, The Dudley Birder Chorale, and Birder Studio of Performing Arts all team up to present a program of Christmas Carols and Holiday Favorites. For two decades this concert has been a tradition in the Green Bay area, and continues to leave audiences with a glow that lasts throughout the Holiday.

(Again, no program info)

January 10:  An Evening with Midori

Midori is an extraordinary violinist who has achieved fame throughout the world for her brilliant performances and recordings. Few world-renowned artists have invested so much of themselves in engagement with smaller communities and their youth. For her work, Midori received the prestigious Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Science, and named a Messenger of Peace by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. From January 7th through the 11th, Midori will be in Green Bay working with area youth orchestra and school music programs. She will also perform (WHAT?) for a public concert on Saturday, January 10th.

February 14:  All You Need Is Love (If I have to write of another Valentine's related orchestra program, I think I'll SCREAM!)

Few musician-songwriters evolved as rapidly as the Beatles during the 1960s. From very simple 3-chord pop tunes in their early years to complex lyrical themes and orchestral arrangements later in the decade, the evolution of their music contributed to the revolution of rock music across the planet. Two albums in particular, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and Magical Mystery Tour, pressed the edges of the envelope with the integration of complex musical arrangements into their hit songs.

On Valentines Day, Canadian rock band Jeans ‘n Classics will team up with the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra to revisit this era of Beatles music. Show your Valentine that “all you need is love” by bringing him or her to a night of great Beatles music you will remember long after you’re sixty-four.

Ugh.

April 11:  Greatest Hits of the Opera

Dedicated to the memory of Miroslav Pansky – GBSO’s longest-serving music director, and founder of the Pamiro Opera – this concert will feature great works from the world of opera.  (WHAT???)

This performance comes with a proviso, however:  Note: In order to produce this concert, GBSO will need to secure full-cost sponsorship of the concert.

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It is unfortunate when any arts organization ceases to exist.  In this case, however, at least the city by the bay has another--and, at the moment, more viable--choice for the art we so much love.