The National Endowment for the Arts is slated to receive a budget of $146.02 million per the 2014 Omnibus Appropriations bill released by Congress late yesterday. The figure is down from the Obama administration’s proposed $154.47 million and roughly on par with 2013’s allocation of $146.26 million, although that sum dropped to ~$139 million after sequestration. The Omnibus bill is expected to pass Congress this weekend upon the conclusion of a short-term continuing resolution giving Congress additional time to finalize the legislation.

The funding level came as a relief to arts advocacy group Americans for the Arts, which wrote in an email to supporters today that the budget survived a “fractious appropriations process and a government shut-down that lasted 16 days” and “avoided the disastrous proposal” in the House of Representatives to slash NEA funding by 49%.

Michael Kaiser President, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts


It's Time to Celebrate Posted: 01/13/2014 8:34 am

Not every arts organization is struggling.  (Click for entire article)

Ask the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Penumbra Theatre (of St. Paul, Minnesota), Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and numerous other thriving arts organizations around the United States. The Detroit Symphony just announced record fundraising results and the Kennedy Center has had 14 years in a row of an operating surplus. And there are so many other examples I could cite.

The new arts specialty plate is now available, and GA residents have another way to show us their love during their commutes! Artist Steve Penley designed this image which features General James Oglethorpe, a philanthropist and founder of the colony of Georgia. Ten dollars from the sale of each plate will go to the Georgia Council for the Arts, which will use the funds to support arts programs in communities statewide.

http://www.gaarts.org/2-uncategorised/177-explore-the-arts

The contract fight between the Minnesota Orchestra and its musicians shows no signs of ending. In January, the lockout will spill into its sixteenth month, the longest labor dispute ever at a major American orchestra.

Still, if you're a music lover needing a little holiday hope, here's some: Struggling orchestras elsewhere in the country are seeing light at the end of the tunnel.

Take Detroit. Two years ago the symphony suffered through a contract fight and a six-month musicians strike in a city crippled by its own financial woes. It was the longest orchestral dispute at the time.

An eventual deal brought pay cuts, reduced staff and a reorganization. But the symphony also balanced its budget this year, the first time since 2007, and launched plans to build new audiences and raise $30 million a year in the next decade.

"We completely acknowledge how hard it was for our musicians to accept and agree on new conditions and we are sad that it took a six-month strike," said Detroit Symphony President Anne Parsons. "But in many ways I think we have all left that behind us, and moved forward. Regardless of how anybody feels about the outcome of the decision, you've got to be all in."

Financial problems almost sank the Colorado Symphony two years ago, but it also reorganized -- nine musicians now sit on the board and hold a majority of the orchestra's artistic committee -- and launched an ongoing fundraising effort.

"You can complain about who is being unreasonable whether it's the musicians or management. But if you are not working together you're not going anywhere," said Jerry Kern, co-chair of the symphony's board of trustees. At one point, Kern said, a Minnesota Orchestra staffer called Colorado's chief operating officer to ask how come musicians and management get on so well. "His first response was 'Well, for one thing, we didn't lock them out.' "

The Minnesota Orchestra dispute between management and players is over wages, work rules, and artistic control, with no end in sight. As with orchestras, the Great Recession magnified the tough times.

Everyone agrees that the one constant in the future of classical music will be change. And generally outside of the Minnesota Orchestra everyone seems optimistic about that future, while admitting there's a lot of hard work ahead.

"Any orchestra could slide off the road into the ditch the way Minnesota has done in the absence of constant attention," said Gary Hanson, executive director of the Cleveland Orchestra.

Cleveland is doing well. And in recent months supporters of the Minnesota musicians compared Cleveland's success to the Minneapolis quagmire as evidence of Minnesota management ineptitude.

Succeeding, said Hanson, means getting everything right -- artistic excellence, smart fundraising, innovative programming and audience development all scaled to each orchestra's community.

Both sides in the Minnesota dispute say they want a settlement, but there are no negotiations scheduled. The Musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra will launch a 10-concert spring season in the New Year which includes appearances by Itzhak Perlman and Joshua Bell.

The conflict, though, is "unprecedented and it's a terrible thing to have happen to this great asset for the community of Minneapolis and the whole state of Minnesota," said Bruce Ridge, a bassist with the North Carolina Symphony and chair of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians.

His members, he said, have been sending donations to support the Minnesota musicians. When he travels abroad to conferences the first questions he hears are always about Minnesota.

Musicians have always had to strive for the highest-possible musical excellence, he added. Now, they also have to become passionate advocates for their music to the larger community.

"They are also going to have to be able to articulate that not only is there value in their orchestras, and not only can all orchestras be saved, but there are reasons to save them," Ridge said. "There are reasons for them to continue thriving in our communities."

Taylor Swift Donates $100,000 To Nashville Symphony

Taylor Swift, who celebrates her 24th birthday today (Dec. 13), has made a $100,000 donation to the Nashville Symphony. The unexpected early Christmas gift surprised and delighted symphony representatives at a meeting facilitated by Dave Pomeroy, President of AFM Local 257, and attended by members of Swift’s organization.

“Taylor, who is a member of our local, is not only an amazing talent with fans all across the globe; she is also an incredibly generous artist who has never failed to demonstrate her devotion to not only her own band, but also to the greater Nashville community and our musicians. We applaud her fantastic contribution to Music City’s renowned orchestra. Thank you, Taylor, and ‘Happy Birthday’ too!” Pomeroy said.

The donation comes at the end of a difficult year for the NSO, which dealt with financial problems this past spring including a debt restructuring agreement, staff terminations, and a new musicians contract, which include a 15 percent pay cut.

“Now is the time for all the citizens of Nashville to step forward and support our world class orchestra in its time of need. Taylor Swift has set a great example and I hope that others will follow her lead and help ensure that the Nashville Symphony musicians’ salaries can be restored as soon as possible. This is an incredible start,” Pomeroy said.

The Musicians of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra would like to join the efforts of the SOSMN (Save Our Symphony Minnesota) in a call to help the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra raise the funds necessary for their continued operation. We would like to encourage those in our social media circles as well as all other orchestras across the country to join this effort to help save this great cultural gift in Milwaukee. Below is the call to action by the SOSMN.


"Although SOSMN’s focus has been on saving the world-class Minnesota Orchestra, today we ask you to consider helping the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (MSO).

The musicians, conductor Edo de Waart, and management of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra have supported our Minnesota musicians through the lockout---and now they need help in return. If the MSO is unable to raise 5 million dollars in the next month, they will have to close down entirely.

Right now a MSO Board member is providing a matching grant, so even small donations will make a difference. As you are making your end-of year charitable contributions to support great live classical music and the Musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra, we also ask you to please consider the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Thank you."

http://www.mso.org/supportus/donate