by Charles Noble on June 22, 2009
In this month’s Atlantic, there is a set of 15 mini articles gathered under the heading “15 Ways to Change the World“. One of these, by Felix Salmon, is entitled “Pay the Artists”. Here it is [emphasis mine]:
We’re living in a newly frugal world. But the rediscovered values of thrift and moderation should apply to [...]
Classical music critic from the Oregonian, David Stabler, gives a short, not-so-sweet synopsis of the state of the Oregon Symphony at the end of the 2008-2009 season:
The symphony in crisis
by Charles Noble on June 1, 2009
As a casual observer of the arts scene (and perhaps even an avid supporter and attendee of concerts) you might not be able to see through all of the raging arguments in online forums surrounding the ailing arts organization. Barry Johnson over at the Oregonian has written a very thoughtful column about the facts surrounding [...]
Well, here’s an update of sorts: my info was completely wrong (that’s what you get for trusting rumors, even if they seem to be from a good source) – I’ll have some real information as things move along. Mea culpa.
There hasn’t been any press on this as of yet, but I’ve been hearing rumblings of [...]
by Charles Noble on May 21, 2009
Here’s some more news from around the orchestra world as organizations attempt to stem the tide of red ink as contributed and earned income continue to fall across the nation:
Phoenix cuts all salaries 17% across the board.
Charlotte gets arts funding cut 50%, told to improve financial plan.
Chicago Symphony cuts musician pay 2.5% across the board.
UPDATE 4/08 [link] The Utah Symphony/Opera cut 11.5% of of their benefits plus Keith Lockhart takes 10% pay reduction.
[link] The Atlanta Symphony musicians have reopened their previously negotiated CBA (which ran through 2011) and will be taking an 8.8% pay cut by the end of 2011 (the first drop will be 5% for 09/10, then [...]
by Charles Noble on February 13, 2009
I just received an email from the arts advocacy group Americans for the Arts:
Just moments ago, the U.S. House of Representatives approved their final version of the Economic Recovery bill by a vote of 246-183. We can now confirm that the package DOES include $50 million in direct support for arts jobs through National Endowment [...]
by Charles Noble on January 8, 2008 · 1 comment
If you’re concerned about maintaining the current level of federal funding for the arts, or actually increasing the amount of funding for the arts, take a quick surf over to this website: Arts Vote 2008, and fill out and send the online letter which will be sent (either electronically or on paper) to each of [...]
by Charles Noble on December 28, 2007 · 4 comments
John Terauds, the classical music critic for the Toronto Star, writes in a recent column that younger audiences are turned off by crossover efforts, and just want the “straight stuff”.
by Charles Noble on December 9, 2007 · 1 comment
An article in the Arizona Republic appeared today about the Phoenix Symphony and their slow recovery from the edge of the abyss a few years ago (ultimately, the players had to take a substantial pay cut to keep the orchestra solvent, nearly going on strike before settling). Here’s a summary from the beginning [...]
by Charles Noble on October 4, 2007
This caught my eye in a recent perusal of Crosscut, the online Northwest news journal – the article written by WW’s new arts writer Stephen Marc Beaudoin.