A skimming of the online headlines in the past couple days has been disheartening for anyone who either loves the arts or works at an arts organization, as a trend is now beginning to emerge: groups that were on the edge are being pushed over it. Here’s a roundup of the latest news:
- Shreveport Symphony: Cancels rest of season. [link]
- Charleston Symphony: Major cuts in budget. [link]
- Portland (Maine) Symphony: Cuts budget and season. [link]
- Cincinnati Symphony: Players take 11% pay cut. [link]
- Opera Orchestra of NY: Cancels remainder of season. [link]
- Cincinnati Symphony: Reports $3.8 million deficit. [link]
- LA Opera: Lays of 17% of staff [link]
- Bolshoi Opera: Cancels tour and new production [link]
- Orlando Opera: Cuts 25% of its staff [link]
So what does this mean for local arts organizations? A recent article in the Oregonian showed that the major groups are doing ok – for now. We’re probably due for getting the numbers that really reflect the economic meltdown in the coming days (the previous numbers came from the initial stages of the downturn, not reflecting the full reality of the situation).
It’s a nervous time for those of us who make our livelihoods from arts organizations, and I’m sure that there are a lot of sleepless nights in office suites across the country these days.