Quote Originally Posted by Hypestyles View Post
when would the next season begin, if at all?

who are the primary funders of the DSO?
Coming from a Development background...primary funders for the DSO and Michigan Opera Theatre were the big corporations in town, including the autos. Both were totally devastated in the downturn of 2008 - 2009. The auto companies et al. went from giving tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of dollars to zero. Goose egg. Nothing.

Other big funders are foundations and then old, old money.

This is true for nearly ever cultural institution in town, but especially for those two. Others who have fared better traditionally relied more on individual donors than the big corporate money.

What people sometimes fail to realize is that no museum/cultural institution pays for itself on admission revenue[[not even close to half, ever). The DSO, like the DIA, is not a live entertainment like a Red Wings game or Kid Rock - it is a cultural institution. It just worries me to see people drawing these false comparisons. We either can find funding for our cultural institutions, or they go away. They do not pay for themselves - neither do parks, or our beloved DIA [[at least I think it is...are people advocating that should go away now too?). It is simply something we have to find money for if we want to remain part of civilization.

These things we can never seem to find money for. However there is always an endless pot for baseball players and the military.

With the DSO in particular that no one is pointing out is that management still owes $54 million on the Max Fisher...a structure that seems mostly pointless to me. Lots of glass and empty space. Now they've got to pay the piper.

I do agree that the DSO needs to be more accessible to average people. That won't happen if they're gone though.