San Antonio Symphony News and Archive

Classical music funding 'critical'




by Mike Greenberg and Carmina Danini

from the San Antonio Express News 1/11/98



The San Antonio Symphony is "at a very critical juncture in terms of its survival," a board member said Saturday in response to reports of cash-flow problems for the chronically fund-strapped orchestra.

Fernando Guerra, chairman of the symphony board's membership and governance committee, said the cash shortage is "not a new story," but he warned that "we're very close" to losing the orchestra.

Although Guerra was concerned about the symphony's ability to make payrolls - the next one is due Thursday - executive director David Schillhammer stated flatly: "We will make the payroll on Thursday."

The financial troubles were telegraphed to the symphony audience in the middle of a concert last Thursday, when guest conductor Benjamin Zander made a plea for financial support from the podium. He made an identical plea at Saturday's performance.

Zander, conductor of the Boston Philharmonic, already had put his money where his mouth was: He donated his own fee to the orchestra after learning of the financial difficulties during a board meeting Wenesday.

During intermission at Saturday night's concert, Zander told the San Antonio Express-News he donated his $5,000 conducting fee to the San Antonio Symphony as a wake-up call to the crisis faced by the orchestra.

"It is a truly great orchestra," Zander said "It's playing its best ever in history. It's a great orchestra in the nation, a great cultural institution of the country. It must not be allowed to founder."

The musicians were told Thursday afternoon the board had disscussed options that included bankruptcy, as well as a declaration of financial emergency that would allow the organization to pay its musicians at half their contracted salaries for the remainder of the season, according to principal flutist Tal Perkes.

Schillhammer, however, insisted: "We discuss those things at every board meeting. This situation we find ourselves in right now is no different. At every meeting we have a cash-flow problem."

"There is no immediate crisis. January is historically a challenging month."

"There will be another board meeting (on Wenesday) for an update on what's happened in the intervening seven days."

Mayor Howard Peak, who said he was not aware of the symphony's financial problems, said a concerted community effort is necessary to keep it afloat.

"This is needed first, to recognize the value of the symphony to our community and to get behind it on an emergency basis or some more sustaining effort to keep it viable," Peak said.

Guerra noted the symphony has had its ups and downs for years, and this season is no diferent.

"We're very close to losing an important element for the community and I hope that won't happen, and that the community will respond," said Guerra, who has been on the board for four years.

He said some members of the board hope to meet with Peak this week.

Board member Claire O'Malley said the financial picture delivered at last week's board meeting was "not any different from what we've heard at all board meetings."

Schillhammer traced the symphony's current cash shortage in large part to September's City Council decision to reduce most city arts grants by 15 percent.

The symphony had expected to receive $533,397 from the city on Oct. 1, but the actual grant was $80,000 smaller.

The symphony ended its budget year in June with a $350,000 deficit.

The symphony's annual budget is about $7 million, he said.

Other revenue catagories are tracking projections, Schillhammer said. As of early this month, gifts to the annual fund topped $1.5 million in cash and pledges, about $100,000 ahead of the same period last year, he added.

The symphony suffered another blow with the death of its biggest benefactor, Elizabeth "Betty" Maddux, who died in May 1996.

Principal tuba player Lee Hipp, chairman of the orchestra committee and a musicians representative on the symphony board, expressed cautious hope that the problems can be resolved.

"There's a lot of anxiety, and we as the musicians are usually the ones who get most anxious. But they've been working very hard to meet all their obligations," Hipp said of the symphony's management.

"I would not want to break a pledge of keeping some information confidential at this point," Hipp said. "This would not be the right time to sound a large alarm about what might happen."

Said another musician, who asked not to be named:"From my own point of view, it's the same problem we face every year. It's just a little worse this time."

Pic Swartz, a member of a task force that studied the symphony in 1993-94, said the current problems are "terrible," given the symphony's outreach efforts into the community and the quality of its programs.

"The symphony deserves better," Swartz said. "It has broadened its base. I don't know what more they can do."

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Business Columnist David Hendricks contributed to this report.


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