San Antonio Symphony News and Archive

Symphony shorted workers' paychecks




by Mike Greenberg

from the San Antonio Express News 3/4/98



San Antonio Symphony musicians and staff opened their paychecks Friday to find only a fifth of what was due to them, a symphony official confirmed Tuesday.

It was the latest financial scare for one of the city's premier cultural institutions, which has weathered many financial crises during the last decade and projects a debt of $1.49 million by the end of its fiscal year in May.

In January, the symphony averted a similar shortfall when an additional $100,000 in private donations helped it meet midmonth payroll.

Symphony music director Christopher Wilkins described the current situation as "urgent and important, but not a crises."

Executive director David Schillhammer, however, acknowledged the possibility of further gaps between cash flow and payroll before the season ends May 31.

It costs the symphony about $100,000 a week to meet payroll.

"We fully expect to make full restitution and compensation to all employees by Friday, March 6," Schillhammer said. "Inflows are coming in nicely."

The entire staff - including musicians, management and conductors - received checks equal to 20 percent of normal pay.

Most musicians have been reluctant to discuss the cash-flow problems on the record.

But Lee Hipp, chairman of the orchestra committee and symphony tubist, said in a prepared statement:

"Despite the hardship of having received 20 percent of our pay, the musicians of the San Antonio Symphony are continuing to work together with the board and management to ensure the success of our organization. We hope that this cash-flow crisis will provide a catalyst to the future financial stability of our orchestra."

Musicians are represented on the symphony's board of directors and, thus, would not have been surprised by the short paychecks.

Hipp found out about the shortfall last Wednesday evening after the board meeting and called it " a rather shocking experience. It's the first time it has ever happened to the musicians in this orchestra. It can be a stressful time."

"It's painful for anybody," Wilkins said, "but especially for a musician in a $27,000 job," Hipp said.

"The fact that the musicians are backing the organization is a sign of internal optimism. I think the musicians want to keep the team powerful."

Wilkins added, however, "at some point the fear is that frustration takes over, or the sense that not enough is being done."

"We need short-term solutions as well as long-term solutions."

The latest crisis comes as the symphony had started its subscription renewal drive and as the institution makes plans for a new endowment campaign.

In another campaign, the symphony has set a fund-raising goal of $4 million per year for the next three fiscal years, bringing its total fudn-raising goal to $17 million over the same period.

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Fine Arts Editor Kristina Paledes contributed to this report.


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