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 some pretty massive cuts that may have to be made by the Seattle Symphony, and the players are right at the end of their current contract. Something in the realm of 30 percent is what I’ve been hearing from sources close to the situation. Word is that the usual funding sources who open their checkbooks at the end of each fiscal year are determined not to help at this point now that Gerard Schwartz is a lame duck.
It’s a shame, because the SSO is a great orchestra and the musicians work very hard there, and deserve the pay and benefits they currently receive – and doubtless they deserve much more. I warned about this scenario a couple years back – that with the departure of Schwartz they would face a dearth of funding from his major donor friends. One would hope that their philanthropy will extend beyond personal loyalty, but it often takes years for such wounds to heal and for such donors to return to an orchestra.
Stay tuned…