Sour notes in Columbus
The Columbus Dispatch has an editorial today endorsing the Columbus Symphony board's proposal to slash players, budget and the season there.
According to Douglas Fisher, second bassoonist and president of the musician's union Local 103, the musicians plan to issue a press release in response to the board's announcement to fire 22 of the 53 full-time musicians at the end of their current contract.
Fisher lives in both Columbus and Hyde Park. He is married to Catharine Carroll, a viola professor at UC's College-Conservatory of Music.
Scroll down for previous news about this issue.
posted by Janelle Gelfand at 1:40 PM
2 Comments:
at 1/28/2008 02:55:00 PM 
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at 1/28/2008 04:37:00 PM 
Anonymous said...
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Post a Comment*I read the editorial (also suggest clicking on "Web-Only letters" for 1/28-contains letters about the orchestra crisis). And I have to say the editorial put forth a compelling argument supporting the steps that were taken that was backed with facts and comparisons with comparable orchestras and similar problems. The shrill rheotoric of some of the people commenting on this blog was absent. One observation that they made I found most interesting was that they (Columbus)don't have the support of a unified arts fund like Cincinnati and other orchestras have. One thing they didn't note was that they don't have what Cincinnati has had in the past is unidentified donors who wrote checks to cover millions of dollars in losses on several occasions to bring them back to "zero". If the the CSO (Cincinnati)wouldn't have had these enablers to fall back on to solve the immediate and recurring crises or the massive endowment to tap into this discussion could have easily been about the hometown orchestra.
The lesson to be learned for the hometown orchestra and especially its board of directors is this-you better develop a business model that fits more squarely with the 21st century or this could be about you next time.
What is required of any major orchestra, among other things, is a major endowment and responsible management of that endowment.Also if folks want to write that check at the end of the season to balance the budget--I'd assume that person thought it was worth while to fund the orchestra. All who contribute to the endowment or operating fund or whatever, are all enablers--and I'd like to thank them for gifting us a great orchestra. Without that money there'd be fewer concerts played by less well paid musicians with less talent led by a less able music director. Thanks again... what a gift.
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