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Sunday, November 01, 2009
Will NMSO Play On?
By David Steinberg
Copyright © 2009 Albuquerque Journal Of the Journal
Two months into the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra's scheduled season, and the musicians have yet to play a note.
Negotiations over a new musicians' contract have forced what officials are calling the "postponement" of the first three of 10 announced Classics concerts in the 2009-10 season as well as a special Halloween concert with the Albuquerque Youth Symphony. It is believed to be the first such delay in the NMSO's 77-year history.
Since its inception, the NMSO has been considered by many to be a cultural offering vital to the city.
"Having an excellent symphony orchestra, along with great museums, zoos and libraries, has always been one of the things in our country that has defined a major city from a lesser one," said Kevin Hagen, board president of the Arts Alliance and former executive director of the NMSO.
"Losing the NMSO would be a huge setback not only for all the obvious reasons, but also for our vision of what we have to offer as a community," he said. "It also begs the question: If we lose one of most important cultural jewels, which might be next?"
The NMSO musicians' inactivity has already had a rippling effect on youngsters who look up to them, many of whom are their music teachers.
Though the rhetoric about the negotiations have been acrimonious at times, both symphony officials and musicians believe the season will start — at some point. Negotiations began several months ago. The two sides in recent weeks have been meeting with a federal mediator and are under a gag order.
"I am optimistic that there will be a season," said Richard Anton White, NMSO principal tuba and a member of the musicians' negotiating team.
The musicians' old contract expired Aug. 31. They have said they would gladly continue playing this season under the terms of that contract, but the NMSO said it couldn't afford to pay them at those rates.
In these tough economic times, the NMSO is suffering the same fate as symphonies across the country — revenues are down.
The symphony started last year's season with a $6.2 million budget but slashed it by several hundred thousand dollars by instituting a series of cost-cutting measures. Those measures had included staff layoffs, pay cuts, concert program changes, suspending the pension and borrowing from a limited liability corporation.
The symphony's current operating budget is $5 million. Built into that budget are an unspecified percentage of cuts in musician pay as well as restructured work rules that would be a cost-savings.
(No one will discuss what musicians' current pay is. But according to a former contract from 2005, core musicians' minimum annual salary would have been $19,944 in 2007.)
Cut benefits
There are 75 musicians in the orchestra. Of those, 35 are considered core, 23 basic and 17 extended.
Less than two weeks after the musicians' contract expired on Aug. 31, the NMSO notified them that it had discontinued several types of insurance coverage, including medical and dental.
The stoppage of coverage, which affected 23 musicians, occurred because, NMSO officials said, it couldn't afford it. When the contract expired those benefits ended.
NMSO officials have said its income has declined because the value of its investments has dropped sharply and contributions are down.
Before the gag order took effect, Eric Meyer, NMSO's president and CEO, had said the organization was seeking a reduction in musician pay and elimination of the pension in any new contract.
But top NMSO officials have continued to be paid.
Meyer is still working under his old contract, which expired on Aug. 31. His pay under that contract is $116,500, the NMSO reported.
The NMSO also is continuing to pay music director Guillermo Figueroa and resident conductor Roger Melone, both of whom are under separate contracts. Figueroa just signed a five-year contract and his current annual salary is $104,400, according to the NMSO.
Melone is in the second year of a three-year contract that pays him $69,457 a year.
Last spring, Figueroa, Melone and Meyer had accepted a 10 percent pay cut and the elimination of their NMSO pension at the same time those cuts were imposed on staff, the NMSO reported.
At present, there are 10 full-time and five part-time staff, according to David Sherry, the NMSO's vice president of marketing. That is down from last year when there were 12 full-time and 11 part-time employees.
As of September, the lowest paid part-time employee was paid $14,850 a year, he said in an e-mail.
Moving on
Coleman Travelstead, president of the NMSO board of trustees, said the symphony is able to continue to pay its staff and is meeting other financial obligations.
Those obligations include mortgage payments on its building, utilities, guest artist fees and rental of Popejoy Hall, the National Hispanic Cultural Center and other concert venues, Sherry said.
Figueroa has continued working on musical scores though he's not conducting for the NMSO.
"I've been doing my normal work of studying and preparing for concerts. I have to learn my music way ahead and right now I'm working on the Nov. 20-22 (Classics) program on the presumption it will happen," Figueroa said.
He said he's been talking one on one with NMSO supporters "to make them understand the difficulties we are facing. They deserve the respect of hearing from us directly. ... I avoid getting into details."
Figueroa says he ensures that these NMSO backers know how vital the symphony is to the community and to ask for their continued support.
Meanwhile, Melone said he's been rehearsing weekly with the NMSO's all-volunteer chorus.
"What I'm going to do next is to discuss with the chair of our development committee and another fundraiser about a possible fundraising activity," he said.
Meyer had said that he and the board of trustees were still seeking donations though they're working with the handicap of a nonperforming orchestra.
"It requires, quite honestly, that we share the story of what's going on. We explain why we are in negotiations, why we haven't settled, what the future is holding," according to one NMSO official. "Hopefully that can convince prospective supporters of our good intent and desire to continue."
Returning to music
On their own, musicians have been giving concerts to raise money for a new "audience association" that will promote the NMSO. And at the end of September, the symphony players gave a free concert on Civic Plaza to drum up support for their strong desire to return to work.
The NMSO is not alone in suffering financial difficulty.
On its Web site, NMSO said cites examples: the Phoenix Symphony musicians taking a 17 percent cut, the Utah Symphony players absorbing a 19 percent cut in salary and benefits and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra's musicians taking a 12.5 percent pay cut and up to four weeks of unpaid leave.
At what point does the symphony run out of money to pay even these principals, and shut down for the season? So far, no one sees that happening.
"We really look forward to getting back to having music," said Travelstead, who is not directly involved in the negotiations.
The NMSO's inactivity has had a rippling effect in the music community. Gabriel Gordon, the conductor of the Albuquerque Youth Symphony, said a number of NMSO players teach AYS musicians.
"The NMSO is an organization that these kids can look up to. They're less likely to look up to them if they're not playing," Gordon said.
Longtime NMSO violist Willy Sucre continues to give private music lessons. But now he's actively looking for more viola and violin students and for more chamber ensemble opportunities. But he misses the symphony.
"Not getting to play hurts the most. I am ready to get back," said Sucre, who is not involved in the negotiations.
NMSO revenue
The 2009/2010 NMSO budget expects revenue from several sources:
• 28.5 percent from individual and corporate contributions
• 3.8 percent from tax-based support, i.e. city, county, state and federal funds
• 6.8 percent from endowment earnings
• 17 percent from fundraising.
• About 40 percent from ticket sales.
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