Columbus Symphony struggles continue.......

Columbus Symphony fights on

by Donald Rosenberg / Plain Dealer Music Critic
Tuesday July 8, 2008
Cleveland.com

Orchestra musicians are strong-willed folks. They need to be. They make few artistic decisions. They put up with too many conductors who are ill-equipped to deliver the musical goods. Their fate often is determined by board members who have scant knowledge of the art they are helping to fund.

Or not helping enough.The Columbus Symphony Orchestra is in the midst of a fight for its life. The musicians have been locked out since June 1, when the board suspended operations and canceled the players' benefits, citing a sizable deficit as the reason.

Deficits are the bailiwick of the board and management. The musicians can help by donating services occasionally to raise money through benefit concerts. But their main job is to bring great art to the community they serve.

The Columbus Symphony musicians earn their keep and fulfill their civic duties superbly. It is a fine ensemble, a boon to our capital city's cultural life. I've heard the Columbus Symphony several times and always have been struck by the ensemble's discipline and vibrancy. The people of Columbus and Ohio politicians, including Gov. Ted Strickland, need to mobilize quickly and find a solution to the mess.

The musicians of the Cleveland Orchestra banded with their Columbus colleagues in May in a joint letter deploring the Columbus board's decision to close shop. You can read it on the Columbus musicians' Web site by clicking here.

(The two orchestras, by the way, are far apart in terms of annual operating budget: Cleveland's this season was $41.2 million, Columbus' was $12.4 million.)

The Columbus players plan to fight on, as they must. They're self-producing pops concerts Friday in Dublin and Saturday in Columbus. Information about those events is posted here.

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