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The Future of the Orchestra
Jan 29, 2013 Music Leave a comment
Posted by
Blair Stover
The past half-decade for the United States has been miserable economically speaking. Bankruptcies and lockouts have decimated every state in the Union and there is really no end in sight, even though the Fiscal Cliff was averted earlier this year. Minnesota’s trying to find some kind of solace is music but it is difficult because of money. Blair Stover has the story below.
Orchestra (Photo credit: Sean MacEntee)
The Saint Paul Orchestra along with the Minnesota Orchestra and their communities are trying to rejuvenate their years after locking out their musicians when the orchestra had to restructure contracts by thousands and even cuts spots in the orchestras as well. The musicians rejected the contracts and protested.
Both the orchestras still face serious deficits, mainly caused by the declining of local and state revenues, economical problems and increased expenses. The Minnesota Orchestra, itself, needs to slash $6 million per year and that is why musician’s spots and salaries are being decimated.
Funding a model like an orchestra has always had issues because of the dependency it requires donations from individuals and foundations. The National Endowment of the Arts has always helped these types of groups when it can but when the economy has taken hits like it has in the past few years, not even they can help everyone.
Music plays a great part in every community and it is hard for them to balance the art of providing quality music for the area but still provide payment for the people performing the services. The real question is, “How can some of these orchestras be doing so well when some are closing their doors”? The only answer we can come up with is that one orchestra is being saved at a time.
