greenhouse1014 wrote I guess I’m getting a little kick out of folks talking about how much teh artists get paid. It’s an art, a skill, learned over a long, difficult course of time, so it’s hard to put a tangible price tag on what they do. It’s like that with all art. For example, I was finishing up a painting this weekend and a friend was over and asked what I would sell the work for. When I told him, he thought I was crazy. To him, the fact that I had about $50 in materials told him that a fair price would have been more like $100. Because there’s no tangible way to say, this is what I should be paid for this, it’s hard to justify my prices. I guess this is a long way to defend the musician’s pay.

Yes that’s true. It’s hard to put a price on art. It will always sound/look different to each person. But orchestral musicians work, on average, full 52 week seasons. A painter has the luxury of making a piece once a month and then selling it for a couple thousand dollars (I have a friend who does just that and giggles at the thought of the money he’s making). Orchestral music is at its best when played live. People need to be there to see the musicians, so the musicians need to be there in return. They need to be paid for their service. Most cities have a starting salary of around eighty-thousand. The CSO has a starting salary of around fifty, and as low as thirty-thousand, which is just ridiculous.

And honestly, it’s embarrassing. Cleveland and Cincinnati both have strong, well funded orchestras, and it’s no secret that Columbus has an economy quite a bit better than both of those cities. I can only hope that the city steps in, knowing that the collapse of their orchestra, giving the impression of uncultured dimwits walking the streets, would not be a good thing for the reputation of Columbus.

What’s funny is that I was heavily in favor of the Streetcar until I heard about this. I still am but…I don’t know. I hope I’m just overreacting when I consider that the city is ignoring the arts in pursuit of more lucrative projects. :cry:

Manatee wrote Columbus, speaking very generally, doesn’t seem like the kind of place that supports things that need to hold your attention for longer than a half an hour.

Unless there’s ‘splosions.

+1

The Dispatch wrote Gift will keep symphony afloat

Monday, April 28, 2008

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

An “extraordinary” individual gift will allow the Columbus Symphony to finish its current season, the board announced tonight.

Without the donation, the symphony would have closed Wednesday, said board President Robert “ Buzz” Trafford.

The gift allows the symphony to proceed with the seven remaining performances, capped by two shows with Marvin Hamlisch May 30 and 31.

The board will meet in the next week or two to decide whether to proceed with the popular Picnic with the Pops summer series, Trafford said.

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The Dispatch wrote Symphony receives $100,000

Sunday, April 27, 2008

The ongoing Thrive in Five campaign to stabilize leading central Ohio arts groups has distributed its first money.

A new oversight committee — set up to consider recommendations of the Columbus Cultural Leadership Consortium, which spearheaded the campaign — met recently for the first time to approve $100,000 for the struggling Columbus Symphony.

So far, corporations and other private donors have pledged $300,000, which has triggered $150,000 each in matching money from the city of Columbus and Franklin County, consortium President Press Southworth said.

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Columbuzz wrote And I’m also willing to bet that they don’t give any of their money back to the organization. Usually in the non-profit world, when you get paid well enough (as a lot of the musicians do), there’s almost an expectation that you make a donation back to the organization – not unlike purchasing stock and investing in your company.

When I worked there (2005 – 2007), many of the principal chairs and long-tenured members gave a good chunk of their salaries back. I’m not sure about that group now, but I can say that when I looked through donor list in the program, I didn’t see more than two musician names. It could be more than what I observed, but I’m willing to bet the group has shrunk.

They’re also taking notice of how the musicians (well, the union, not necessarily the musicians, but the general public doesn’t notice the difference) have been and they’ve turned on them.

This just never should have been this drawn out and this public of a catfight. I’m over it and I’m over them. What was once pride has now been replaced with embarrassment.

Anyone notice the symphony strong thing? I think they’re having trouble getting any of the major arts organizations involved because they don’t want to touch CSO with a ten foot pole. And someone really should have told them that those live strong bracelets are over.

You’re right. It’s embarrassing…I have actually reached the point where I can say I’m glad to be out of the organization. Sad, but true.

What’s worse, Columbus just finished last in a 16 city survey for Arts Per Capita. We can’t afford to lose an orchestra, but I don’t know that I want to support this organization any more. It needs a new board and a new union, and if only one happens the organization is not likely to improve much.

TBDFITL wrote While the salary cut proposed would be substantial, what is not mentioned is that many of these musicians have at least one extra source of income. They can teach private lessons (making $25 – 40 per hour), teach at one of the several universities in the Columbus area (at least 5 do this full-time at OSU alone), or work in smaller ensembles. These aren’t 40 hour/week jobs, so an additional part-time, non-music job isn’t out of the question.

Yes, they would not be making as much as before, and they certainly wouldn’t be making as much as Cleveland or New York. Are they going to be unable to support their families? I highly doubt it. What they really wanted to say was, “I won’t be able to live as comfortably as I once did. I think my spouse will have to get a job now.”

I’ve generalized a bit much there at the end, but I just don’t feel that sorry for them anymore.

I think I said that exact same thing a long time ago about them :)

Nice people, but sometimes people in the arts take a lot for granted… look at Dobard over at the Opera, for example.

And I’m also willing to bet that they don’t give any of their money back to the organization. Usually in the non-profit world, when you get paid well enough (as a lot of the musicians do), there’s almost an expectation that you make a donation back to the organization – not unlike purchasing stock and investing in your company.

Just a shame, really, that it’s gotten this far. It’s making all of the arts organizations look bad. The general public has now stepped in and said, “heck no, we shouldn’t be giving our tax money to any arts organization, they don’t know what they’re doing.” (Even though most don’t realize that some of your tax dollars already do go to and support the arts organizations.)

They’re also taking notice of how the musicians (well, the union, not necessarily the musicians, but the general public doesn’t notice the difference) have been and they’ve turned on them.

This just never should have been this drawn out and this public of a catfight. I’m over it and I’m over them. What was once pride has now been replaced with embarrassment.

Anyone notice the symphony strong thing? I think they’re having trouble getting any of the major arts organizations involved because they don’t want to touch CSO with a ten foot pole. And someone really should have told them that those live strong bracelets are over.

Yes, they would not be making as much as before, and they certainly wouldn’t be making as much as Cleveland or New York. Are they going to be unable to support their families? I highly doubt it. What they really wanted to say was, “I won’t be able to live as comfortably as I once did. I think my spouse will have to get a job now.”

I’ve generalized a bit much there at the end, but I just don’t feel that sorry for them anymore.

The Dispatch wrote Orchestra musicians reject contract offer

Friday, April 25, 2008

BY JIM WEIKER

Columbus Symphony musicians have unanimously rejected a contract offer from the symphony board, leaving the future of the financially troubled orchestra further in question.

“The salary cut was impossible for any of us to accept,” said Douglas J. Fisher, president of the Central Ohio Federation of Musicians. “It would reduce our income to a level where it was impossible to support us or our families.”

The board’s executive committee will meet over the next several days to evaluate the musicians’ decision, said board President Robert “Buzz” Trafford in a statement.

“We will announce the impact of this decision on the remainder of the CSO’s season as soon as it can be determined,” he said.

READ MORE

blammo wrote

lilbit wrote

blammo wrote

TBDFITL wrote

I think this city wants an orchestra — just maybe not this much orchestra.

I 100% agree with the last line of your post. I hate to see a musician lose their job, certainly. From my perspective though, it would be much more entertaining (and much lower overhead) to have say, a 35-piece crack ensemble capable of doing much more avant-garde works by original composers.

Hm…perhaps like ProMusica? OK, I don’t know that they’d qualify as avant garde, but there are other groups in Columbus playing classical music. And let’s not forget, if the Symphony goes away we will STILL have a great orchestra…the Columbus Jazz Orchestra…

Agreed. I was just thinking of something smaller and more “edgy”. I used to have an 8-piece band that did stuff like this…and of course, we didn’t make any money either. Still though, it might be fun to get something like that rolling again.

Ok, I think my quote got taken a little too far away from where it was based. I think we want that orchestra in the classical sense. People want Carmina Burana or Shostakovich 5, but they don’t want it every weekend. That’s my point.

lilbit wrote

blammo wrote

TBDFITL wrote

I think this city wants an orchestra — just maybe not this much orchestra.

I 100% agree with the last line of your post. I hate to see a musician lose their job, certainly. From my perspective though, it would be much more entertaining (and much lower overhead) to have say, a 35-piece crack ensemble capable of doing much more avant-garde works by original composers.

Hm…perhaps like ProMusica? OK, I don’t know that they’d qualify as avant garde, but there are other groups in Columbus playing classical music. And let’s not forget, if the Symphony goes away we will STILL have a great orchestra…the Columbus Jazz Orchestra…

Agreed. I was just thinking of something smaller and more “edgy”. I used to have an 8-piece band that did stuff like this…and of course, we didn’t make any money either. Still though, it might be fun to get something like that rolling again.