“Words to the wise for any U.S. symphony orchestras touring China: Be prepared for tougher-than-tough negotiations, last-minute changes at departure, and below-scale fees. The Philadelphia Orchestra knows plenty about the first two as it departs on the third annual tour in its five-year China residency plan,” writes David Patrick Stearns in Sunday’s (5/18) Philadelphia Inquirer. “By conducting its own negotiations and cultivating high-end sponsors, its 2 1/2-week tour—starting Wednesday in Beijing, stopping in Tokyo June 3, and ending June 5 in Taiwan—is expected to net $1 million (give or take $200,000) for the orchestra’s operations.… ‘There are more [Chinese] cities than we can possibly accommodate, even in the next two years. It’s a little overwhelming, but it feels great to say that,’ said Craig Hamilton, the ensemble’s vice president of global initiatives and government relations.” Hamilton notes that orchestra negotiations “can involve waiting well over a month for a proposed concert to receive government approval… The visual arts face rampant plagiarism in [China’s] knock-off industry. Classical music, in contrast, generally doesn’t make overt statements. Much of it is in the public domain. And while China’s orchestras are improving, there’s no equaling the Philadelphia Orchestra.”
Posted May 19, 2014
