Now, another Big Five orchestra is facing some serious belt-tightening, this time the Cleveland Orchestra (on the heels of the Philadelphia Orchestra):
The Cleveland Orchestra said Tuesday it plans a series of “broad and deep” cuts in response to the financial crisis, another sign that not even great cultural institutions are immune from economic woe.
So serious is the orchestra’s position, in fact, that music director Franz Welser-Most and executive director Gary Hanson volunteered to take pay cuts of 20 percent and 15 percent, respectively, reductions amounting to over $300,000. Other senior management will accept cuts of 10 percent, Hanson said Tuesday.
In addition, the orchestra has outlined plans to reduce the number of concerts here and on tour and seek concessions from its musicians and other unionized workers.
Read the complete article here.