The financial strife faced by orchestras across the country only appears to be getting worse. However, in the case of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, musicians voluntarily took a 38 percent pay cut to keep the company going.
Now that is loyalty.
CEO Roland Valliere said that the budget cuts, which musicians voted and agreed on, were "emergency measures." Reduced costs, a smaller staff, special fundraising and more are all attempts to get the company back on track.
Having tapped out their reserves and resources, which at one point summed up to a mighty $6 million, the symphony is exhausting every outlet for support. For the time being, fundraising and concert attendance are essential to the survival of the orchestra.
Those who are in the area, we at Classicalite and the good people at the MSO urge you to attend more concerts and get involved in the fundraising. An entire list of concert dates can be found here.
And for the musicians who decided it's more about the music than the money, we salute you.
In the meantime, get cultured with MSO below.
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