What do the classical contributors make of the parlous state of orchestras around the world?
I am surprised that this hasn't been asked yet on this board (or perhaps it has and I missed it?), but I have been reading with increasing dismay about many leading orchestras going to the wall or in serious trouble. In the USA, the Honolulu, New Mexico and Syracuse orchestras are no more, the Philadelphia Orchestra has filed for bankruptcy protection, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra has been almost ruined by strikes and many other leading orchestras are in deep financial trouble. In the USA there is no state subsidy for the arts. In Europe, many smaller German orchestras have disappeared or have merged and in the Netherlands, some of the most prestigious musical organisations are in danger of going bust without their traditional state subsidies (or huge cuts in them). In Europe, state subsidy is normal (to varying degrees) for orchestras. It seems neither system is working right now, so what's the answer? Of course, many orchestras would survive on playing the classical pops time after time with freelance players drafted in as necessary (some very major orchestras in the UK have always used freelance rather than contracted musicians), but what service does that give to music? How would living composers get their new works played? How would we get to hear fine music that didn't draw-in the crowds? Not very 'creative', is it? When times get tough, the arts are always the first target for cuts. Yet orchestras' budgets are TINY in the great scheme of things. The annual bonus awarded to a top banking executive in the City of London would keep a chamber orchestra in the UK going for about 2 years. How can this be right (don't think that the money-grabbing banker is going to part with any of his wad to support music - he won't!)? So, in reality, these swingeing and crippling cuts make very little difference to the national debt whatsoever, yet politicians always focus on orchestras and opera companies first. Could it be that the cynical politicians are relying on the (erroneous) public perception that the arts are a huge drain on the economy? And don't forget that orchestras put BACK a lot of money into the coffers through taxes and tourism. So, good people, what's the way forward?
Classical - 9 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Your absolutely right. It seems we live in an age where fine arts are being neglected by people in general. I love classical music and going to the orchestra. I'm also a piano teacher. One thing that may be a factor is the bad state of the economy. Many people just don't have the extra funds to go to see orchestra concerts. Also, I think people today have less sophisticated taste in music than they did even 20-50 years ago. Sad to say many would rather go see that stupid Bieber kid than listen to real music from an orchestra. In some cities there are volunteer orchestras and free concerts. So, that may be an option for some people. I live in Houston and thankfully we have pretty good support for the symphony and fine arts in our city. Along with that we have two major universities that form an enclave for support in classical music and the arts. Such as the University of Houston Moores school of music and the Rice University music department. I think the only thing we can do is try to help people be more aware of the joy and glory of classical music and the symphony. Creating more interest in orchestras and their decline may help to save them. Thanks for your post.
2 :
The major metropolitan orchestras like the New York Phil are not under any serious threat, however most smaller regional orchestras are in varying degrees of trouble. I'm not familiar with the nuts and bolts of the European system of government subsidy so I won't comment in any detail on that. We can do a case study of two orchestras in more or less comprable towns: Louisville and Rochester. Both are cities of about 1 million people and have had professional orchestras for nearly a century. Both have had long standing ties with corporate donors native to their city; in Louisville the tobacco and whiskey companies and in Rochester Kodak. One of the major direct incentives in the American tax code is a tax write-off for these kinds of corporate donations. For each orchestra these mainstay corporate sponsors account for largest single contributor of annual revenue. During the boom of the 90s both orchestras had record high musician salary, but when the economy dries up so too does arts funding and consequently something had to give. The Louisville orchestra has had a series of pay cuts and reductions in benefits so that its members have seen about a 30% cut in pay. Rochester had to make some cutbacks, however they were not nearly as severe. It comes down to revenue generated from ticket sales and community sponsorship. So what's the difference? At first glance we might be inclined to say that upstate New York is just more culturally literate than the south, but I have a hard time buying that argument. There is a major difference between the approach each orchestra had to building their audience. Louisville essentially wanted to rest on their laurels after the glow of Robert Whitney. Rochester by contrast aggressively asserts itself outside of its regular concert series with community outreach programs, chamber music series, having their musicians go into the public school system for music education programs. The consequence was a generation with a higher degree of musical literacy, many of whom are now regular concert goers. There's also the Pittsburgh argument for orchestras and the arts in general. Pittsburgh politicians in the 70s and 80s in retrospect now realize they got it wrong. Their plan was to cut anything deemed non-essential and focus on business incentives, which worked well in the short term. The trouble with politicians is that most of them have trouble seeing past the next election so long term solutions become cannon fodder for misguided populism. In the long term there are now major corporations that have had to move out of pittsburgh because of the general dearth of arts. It turns out that to attract the best people for high paying corporate jobs you have to also convince them to move somewhere, and many of them surveyed the landscape there and said no despite many tax and pay incentives. So what is the way forward? It think it comes down to getting music education early in life and getting politicians out of the equation.
3 :
Good question and unfortunately there is not one solution that would solve this situation. If someone asked me today if capitalism is a success, I would have to say it is a gigantic failure. Here in the US our economic system only has a few more years to go before our middle class becomes extinct. I was born in 1945 and as I was growing up I realized that the middle class supported this whole country. The poor could not pay taxes and wealthy had all of the tax breaks. Now with the middle class very quickly growing smaller and most of them moving into the poverty classification there are fewer to support all of the government and private programs I grew up with. For me, hanging perilously onto my middle class status is getting more difficult each day. Living from paycheck to paycheck I find it difficult to part with $80.00 to $150.00 to go and see Porgy & Bess. For a family of 4 to go to a concert may cost $300.00 or more. Disneyland now is almost $100. for an adult ticket and that is just for admission, not counting all of the other expenses you will pay once inside the park. The trickle-down theory of economics is not working and sorry to say that until we make some huge adjustments in the way we do business, I do not see a bright future for the arts or the country as a whole. On the bright side I have enough CD's to last me for the rest of my life.
4 :
It is only a matter of time until many fall by the wayside. Our country is moving further away from arts such as classical music as each day goes by. I saw this coming years ago. There is nothing that can be done about it in this country due to changes in racial demographics.
5 :
Bob Tryon makes a novel suggestion, that "there is nothing that can be done about it [the decline of the arts] in this country due to changes in racial demographics." I'm sure the PC thought police will bridle at tying race to appreciation of the arts but I don't want to dismiss the idea on that basis. Let's see if it can be defended. As far as I know, professional orchestras are a staple of metropolitan areas worldwide *except* in African countries, which have predominantly black populations. The rest of the races on this planet seem to support musical organizations. So is Bob onto something? It depends on whether his country's population is growing blacker. There do seem to be more blacks in the Netherlands than there were in the recent past. Would their presence make the dwindling white population less interested in music? Perhaps blacks are receiving funds that would go to orchestras if they weren't there? I suppose this is possible but one would want to see specifics before one would accept the theory.
6 :
I don't know that there is an answer. I'm not big on have the government pay for everything; I'd rather have the arts support themselves. But it is a despite situation. There aren't enough patrons of the arts, and the cost of doing business continues to rise. Raising the price of tickets results in fewer tickets sold. Lowering the price means not enough revenue. Without private and corporate sponsorships orchestras will disappear. A 2009 show "The Audition: A documentary" http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/news/features/detail.aspx?id=6172 included a dire prediction about the average age of the people who went to the opera. Something along the lines of, "ten years ago the average age of a patron was 55, now it is 65." As pointed out previously, the cost of tickets is high, but not so high that people couldn't afford them if they cared to. There are still enough folks going to Broadway shows; productions like PoTO, Chicago, The Lion King and Wicked continue to fill theaters. Even Mary Poppins is making a comeback. The MET (though Fathom Events) has offered matinees in movie theaters. not nearly often enough, and people seem to have figured out that it will be on PBS during the next pledge drive, so people seem to be staying away in droves now. Other houses, including some from Europe have attempted the same broadcast technique. (I haven't seen any of those shows because the weren't shown locally.) With the plummeting sales of CD (media), and things coming over streaming media I wonder what the future will hold. I'm still a "hands-on" kind of guy. There are plenty of local, regional and college venues I could frequent, but don't. And I have no real desire to do the San Francisco thing either. ... So, I guess I'm part of the problem.
7 :
In Germany, and by extension, to most of the other major continental european countries, this has a definite starting point: Arts and Culture policies after the Great War ( WWI). Music somehow held on during the brief respite until WWII, but afterwards the re-building of cities took precedence over art of any kind. My older colleagues ( now retired or dead) told stories of how the whole city of Aachen contributed to rebuilding the opera house after it too was damaged severely in bombing raids. visitors often paid in coal or foodstuffs. With the re-establishment of a more-or-less normal standard of living in the late 50s and 60s, Government started neglecting the educational aspects of music and culture. Perhaps because they had grown up without? Perhaps it just didn't seem relevant enough to the business world. With the reunion in 1989 to East Germany,( which even most conservative economists say was chivvied along too quickly and unrealistically) many of the "New" german communities found their cultural establishments strapped for the subsidized funds no longer available, and were forced into mergers. From about 150 opera houses and orchestras throughout the country, we are down to about 100 to date, an our nation-wide orchestral union regularly sends out messages to rally around one or another opera theater/orchestra at the edge of existence. the last couple of years' economic disaster has taken its toll here as well. Wages are frozen, many perks have been cut, never to return ( dry cleaning for your tuxedo!, string money for the whole string section, fender-bender repairs for brass, reeds for the winds). Our orchestra just last night taped a piece for the benefit for the colleagues in Holland ( within spitting distance for us)to help out their desperate situation. More and more orchestras are fishing for sponsors and other private measures. That means more work, mind you, as these groups expect their very own set of concerts for no extra pay, of course. I think, until music and arts are firmly re-established in a country's/culture's educational concept, the whole idea of participation and support will continue to languish. If one thing positive can be said about our global links through the net, it can be this: classical music is also being broadcast more than before. Granted, YouTube doesn't include some of the treasures that many of you may have at home, but more than the Top 10 is available! Don't despair, friends, but continue to make music.
8 :
Allow me to address a curiosity, before that of the main point of your question:your usage of the word "parlous". I have to admit, that I've never come across it before, and wondering why your employment of it here? . Merriam-Webster's definition, in case you might be interested: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parlous?show=0&t=1309407251 To your main point: "what's the way forward?" In my view, there is none - in terms of turning the trend around; I see only further decline in the financial support of all institutions relating to serious/Western Art Music - performing, or otherwise. A very sad commentary indeed, on (IMHO) the continuing degradation of Western societal values in general. One could cite I suppose the changing economic demographics, or the evolution of a global economy; but these in an ultimate analysis I would wager to be invalid. I would be willing to share my box of handkerchiefs with you? Alberich
9 :
I cannot really contribute to the whole economics conversation, because I'm not very well informed. I'm only a teenager that loves classical music. But it makes me sad. I wish there was a way to put more emotional emphasis on "sad" because this sadness is deep and unrelenting: that my love, this beautiful art form - it's dying. It's dying, and I can't do anything about it by myself. I'm very glad to have found an entire school full of people my age that have this beautiful, strong passion for classical music, and they play with all the power they can muster from every cell in their body, and these people are my friends. These people are working their butts off every day, pushing their hearts through their bows and leaving their souls in their reeds and no one gives a damn anymore. If they're lucky, someone will stop and think, "Oh, that's nice," but then they'll spend all their money buying these shallow, empty tracks of pitiful music that's all similar, all about the sex, all about the money, and where's the actual music? I am fifteen years old and I'm looking at other people my age and I'm wondering why they aren't trying to keep this music alive. Our school is facing a lot of financial difficulties because our budget was cut in half. We only have one bass, and nine bassists. Our pianos are all out of tune (which is really only an inconvenience to those with perfect pitch, but a good third of us are able to notice this, including myself). One of our two main buildings is prone to flooding, and we can't afford to patch up the holes. The public schools we come from aren't willing to pay for the gas it takes to bus us back and forth. I don't want it to die. I don't know what to do. I wish I did know. We are an endangered species. There's not much we can do. We give our love to our children and hope to whomever we pray to that it stays alive through them when we die.
