Performing symphonies have had their fair share of debacles this year--and The Metropolitan Opera's problems, while having been solved for now, may have marched to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's doorstep.
The ASO has been fighting a losing battle the last eight months with disagreements of pay and health care cuts for musicians--which effectively have scaled back the size of the orchestra.
In a report at Arts Atlanta, the management's main priority is to secure the financial health of the orchestra. After a deficit running five years in a row, the ASO's debt accumulated a debt of $23 million.
Facing a projected $5 million annual budget deficit, management forced musicians into accepting a 15 percent cut in salary, amounting to a minimum of $27,000 over the last two years.
The ASO dropped the number of full-time performing musicians from 95 to 88 and reduced the season from 52 to 42 weeks. And for the first time in 30 plus years, ASO no longer keeps a full year's schedule.
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