Blog

The Baghdad Symphony Orchestra doesn’t expect its future to be the first priority of the new Iraqi government, or of the occupying force of American and British troops currently running the country. But The BSO is beginning to run out of time to stabilize its organization, which has been in chaos since the war in Iraq began. The orchestra’s musicians have not been paid in months, and last week, an Italian cultural attache charged with overseeing Iraq’s cultural life failed to show up for a meeting with the orchestra’s management. To make matters worse, the orchestra is fearful that whatever new government eventually emerges in Iraq may not be supportive of classical music at all.

The San Antonio Symphony has officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after a vote by the orchestra’s board. The SAS struggled with its finances all season, and laid off half its office staff last week in anticipation of the bankruptcy filing. The orchestra does not intend on shutting down completely – at least, not yet – but there is no firm timetable for a return to a normal concert schedule, and the summer months may not provide enough time for the SAS to organize a 2003-04 season.

Board members of the embattled Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra are being asked to sign a “Commitment To Excellence” manifesto which states that “the board will ‘not compromise the artistic future of the Pittsburgh Symphony,’ and ‘will not accept anything less than the establishment of permanent financial stability. …'” News of the manifesto came as rumors began to circulate that the PSO is looking seriously at hiring Douglas Gerhart, known as something of a turnaround specialist in the orchestra world, as its next managing director.

Changes may be on the way for the design of the new Performing Arts Center in Kansas City, with funding concerns creating a need for a less extravagant complex. “The exterior of Moshe Safdie’s glass-and-concrete center would not change appreciably. But the new interior design… includes a large opera-ballet theater that can be transformed into an orchestra hall using technology developed since discussions about the performing arts center began in 1995. A 500-seat theater/recital hall would cater to smaller arts organizations and community theater. The existing plan… called for a 2,200-seat theater and an 1,800-seat devoted orchestra hall, with the smaller hall proposed for a future second phase.”

A major concert scheduled for Toronto and billed as a SARS benefit is drawing critical fire after it was discovered that no portion of the proceeds from the show will be earmarked for SARS relief. The concert will feature some of Canada’s highest-profile music stars, including Avril Lavigne and Barenaked Ladies, and the performers will be paid handsomely out of a $5 million fund provided by the Ontario government, but none of the provincial money will be put towards a solution to the outbreak, either. Organizers say that the concert was never intended as a traditional benefit, but as a way to get large numbers of people to come to downtown Toronto, which has been badly hurt by the perception that SARS is rampant.

“The Detroit Symphony Orchestra has sued the contractors that installed seats last year which were later removed because they were defective and uncomfortable. The lawsuit seeks at least $1.6 million because, the orchestra claims, Modern Door and Equipment Sales and its subcontractor, American Premier Seating, failed to fulfill their contract to install 1,800 seats, putting in only 500.”