DSO Picket Tonight [[Feb 22, 6pm)

[WaCoTS]

I have heard that the city has a hard time providing basic city services. IMO, the DSO is nice but a luxury and people [[voters/residents) should lobby for these essential services to improve rather than fight for a high class band in their city.

For those of you who support them, are you willing to have dollars that could be used for police/ems/fire, spent on this band instead???

what the....?
you guys are acting like the DSO is paid for by city taxes...last i checked it was entirely privately funded, lol! its not like the players are city workers with pensions!

[bailey]

what the....?
you guys are acting like the DSO is paid for by city taxes...last i checked it was entirely privately funded, lol! its not like the players are city workers with pensions!

regardless of funding sources, it seems to be a national issue.

The US supports a plethora of top-flight orchestras, with many, like the DSO, the offspring of the golden age of America's manufacturing cities. But with a number of those cities in decline, many orchestras are on the brink:
Baltimore The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra has accepted successive pay cuts that will reduce the base pay of players to 2001 levels. As its English horn player put it: "We're devastated."
Charleston An agreement to cut the staff of players by 25% this year was not sufficient to save the Charleston Symphony Orchestra from disaster. The donations on which it depends were down so much that in March it cancelled all its concerts for the rest of this year.
Cincinnati In 2009 the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra was mired in multi-million dollar debts, and had lost its lucrative recording contract. But this turned into a good news story when local philanthropist Louise Nippert donated $85 million as a gift that should make up the CSO's shortfall for years to come.
Cleveland One of the 'big five' ensembles in the US, the Cleveland Orchestra is facing $2 million deficits this year. Its players have agreed a two-year pay freeze having gone on a one-day walkout last year. Its musicians clearly fear the Detroit effect – 17 members of the orchestra have played with the DSO strikers in their fundraising performances. Across the country, professional orchestral musicians have donated $80,000 to DSO's strike fund.
Colorado The Colorado Symphony Orchestra last year agreed a 13% pay cut and a month of unpaid leave for its musicians in the face of extreme deficits.
Honolulu The Honolulu Symphony is currently bankrupt, and has been silent since November 2009. Founded in 1900, and having survived two world wars and the Great Depression, its musicians are out of work.
Philadelphia Another of the 'big five', the Philadelphia Orchestra is facing possible bankruptcy and is requiring emergency funding to tie it over. It has suffered from a slump in ticket sales and faces difficult negotiations between management and players over a restructuring plan.