An opinion piece by the editors of the Sacramento Bee (California) on Thursday (4/30) states, “It’s been a tough five years for the arts community across the nation. … Even where attendance has remained steady, the drop in donations has brought many arts organizations to the edge of survival. The latest is the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra. Since 1998, it has put on 92 concerts, including eight world or national premieres, and has brought music to thousands of kids in our region. Unless it raises $300,000 by May 15, the Philharmonic faces taking a one-year hiatus with no programming in the 2012-13 season, offering a severely truncated 2012-13 season—or even closing its doors. As of Wednesday, it had raised $96,575 from 104 donors—22 of them new—with contributions ranging from $10 to $10,000. This arts organization, like so many others in our region, is worth preserving. … Promising avenues do exist. One is merger. While it is common in Europe to combine opera, symphony and ballet companies, such cooperation in the United States is unusual. … The Sacramento Philharmonic and Sacramento Opera had a productive meeting in January and the Irvine Foundation has expressed interest in helping with a merger. That, of course, won’t help with immediate funding, but could help with long-term viability.”
Posted April 30, 2012
