Re: Bad News


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Posted by Crozet Duplantier on October 16, 2001 at 14:59:08:

In Reply to: Bad News posted by Tony Clements on October 16, 2001 at 08:01:07:

First my condolences to Mr. Clement on the demise of the San Jose S.O. Let us all hope that your board is able to get you back into business.
I've read most of the follow-ups, and as a person who works in the arts world, I have the following observations:
1. These are not dark times for orchestras, only dark times for some orchestras. Many orchestras and opera houses are in excellent financial shape and perform to full houses regularly. There are many more full-time professional orchestras than there were 40 years ago (It was only in the '60's that the Chicago Symphony Orchestra started to go full-time) Orchestral musicians in the big US orchestras earn more than their colleagues in the UK, Canada, and Europe. Nevertheless, some orchestras are in bad financial shape due to bad management; some due to poor conditions in their local economies; some expanded to an unsupportable state and have recently had to contract. Like all businesses, some will succeed greatly and some will fail. Those that fail are usually reorganized. In some cases, failure and reorganization creates an opportunity to build a new more successful organization, sometimes not.
2. Government funding represents a very small part of most orchestras' budgets. Most orchestras live and die by their ability get donations from corporations and individuals. If you out there do not give regularly to the organizations in your local areas, you should start doing so now, and encourage all music lovers to do the same. Some of the things that distinguish America from much of the rest of the world is our ability to freely organize into associations and our extremely generous private philanthropy. I will admit that I hold a libertarian position on most issues of taxation (only sales taxes are to some extent voluntary, all others you are forced to pay), but even if the government funded arts organizations 100%, that does not mean that you would have lots of orchestras with full-time schedules across the US. Since we live in a democracy, I find it highly unlikely that budget priorities would lean toward the support of elitist organizations such as symphony orchestras and opera houses; in addition, if the budget got tight, which would you choose to cut back on: the fire department or the symphony?
3. Music education is important and should be emphasized more in schools. But when I went to school (many years before Prop. 13), there were good schools and bad schools, and there were good music programs and bad music programs. There was also rock and roll, which seemed much more popular than symphonic music. This is not to say you can't like both, but I don't see a lot of rockers interested in symphonic music. In addition, music education programs have changed to emphasize a lot more different types of music than just classical music.
4. Generously support the organizations you believe. Don't ask the government to force your fellow citizens to pay for your passions.



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