Twilight in Syracuse

The Syracuse Symphony is shutting down after musicians refused to accept $1.3 million in concessions:

The decision will bring the 50th anniversary season of the orchestra to an unceremonious end. There were more than 20 Syracuse and regional concerts remaining in the 2010-11 season.

The orchestra’s 18 full- and part-time staffers and 61 core and 14 contract musicians will be laid off Monday. However, eight employees will remain to help in the transition, Interim Executive Director Paul Brooks said, although he added that the organization has very little cash to carry out an orderly transition.

Brooks said no refunds would be issued to ticket holders, and he said any donations received during the SSO’s public fundraising campaign, “Keep the Music Playing” will not be returned.

Its April 27 concert by renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma also is canceled. But despite suspension of operations, Brooks said, the Syracuse Opera has been assured that the orchestra will play for its two performances of “The Pearl Fishers” April 8 and 10, said Brooks.

Brooks made the announcement after a three-hour closed board meeting in the conference room of Eric Mower and Associates in downtown Syracuse.

He said the SSO was without funds to continue operations because it fell short of its March fundraising goal of $445,000, failed to receive $1.3 million in concessions from the musicians for the 2011-12 season and had $5.5 million debt as the major reasons for the suspension. The SSO has a budget of $6.9 million for 2010-11.

“In order to be sustainable, we have to have in place a balanced budget for next fiscal year. We have been unable to reach an agreement with the musicians through diligence on our part and on their part,” Brooks said.

Ah, the magic word “sustainable.” What’s telling is that management claims the orchestra is “without funds to continue operations” because musicians didn’t agree to concessions for next year. Of course they already made concessions for this year, and made an offer for next season as well:

Last summer, the SSO and musicians agreed to a shorter season, from 40 weeks to 34 weeks, but the same number of performances…

Musicians made a counter proposal to the board March 24, offering $715,000 in new salary, benefit and position concessions, Garland said. They also presented a plan to temporarily change the mix of core and contract players, which could possibly add up to $200,000 in savings. Since July 1, the musicians have returned to the SSO $720,000 in salaries, wages and benefits, and before that, proposed a two-year wage freeze.

But it wasn’t exactly what the Board demanded, so it’s time to turn out the lights. It wasn’t “sustainable” as the Board defines the term. Well, they’ve got their sustainable situation now.

If that’s not depressing enough, go and read the comments to the article. Typical was this one:

well, that and the amount of gov’t money was reduced and that ticket sales only covered a third of the cost. $30k and benefits for 34 weeks. Seems like a lotta wiggle room for them to earn less AND still have 18 weeks off…. every year. It truly was a good gig. Oh well, they’ll figure it out.

And here’s another:

To hear them squeal like pigs and read their childish rants makes it a cause for celebration. Syracuse reached its zenith in population about a 100 years ago and it has been downhill for one reason, high taxes and this just might be a signal for the rest of the pigs at the looking for a handout that it is time to find a way to make it on your own. As far as libraries, the day may come when everything is one line and they can indeed be cut. The downtown library is mainly a place for bums to sleep these days.

There are days I am truly convinced that we are either the Roman Empire post-Nero or ancien régime France. Were Americans always this mean-spirited? Did labor agreements always mean this little?

I know the AFM is profoundly conflicted when faced with situations like this. But I think it’s time for a policy that, when an orchestra shuts down like this, if it starts up again it doesn’t do so with the blessing of the union unless something more dependable than a mere CBA is in place to protect the livelihood of musicians. How many times has the AFM allowed itself to be used as a kind of Good Housekeeping Seal for orchestra looking to hire musicians, only to have those musicians get screwed? How many times has it happened in Honolulu alone?

I don’t know if that’s the right answer. The real answer – unfortunately not a realistic option – would be a cartel like the NFL that can simply prevent communities that can’t support professional orchestras from having them. Maybe people would take better care of them if they weren’t allowed the fantasy that they could get a better and cheaper orchestra simply by shafting the existing one.