What’s really going on in Oregon?….

A war of words is being engaged in Portland right now between the press and the administration with an emphasis on who’s facts are correct.  Accusations and assertions followed by rebuttals and damage control, it’s familiar stuff , pro sports teams go through it daily!  There is also a note being sounded by executive director Elaine Calder that is hopefully not a signal of things to come.  Their board has the real power to affect the orchestra’s future and a statement by their chairperson needs to be heeded and examined, and not dismissed!….

In this article by Robin J Moody, the Oregon Symphony is in trouble.  In this article by David Stabler there is a strong rebuttal of this assertion.  In both articles there is this statement from board chairman Walter Weyler:

The board of directors has been clear with itself about the seriousness of the current circumstances — about the possibility that we might have already lost the symphony or that we might lose it in the future

Some of the comments to David’s article describe this statement as ill advised, and negative spin, David himself calling it alarmist. OK reality check here, HE’S THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD.  He isn’t a reporter with an opinion, he actually holds a key to the future, so I wouldn’t dismiss his statement and focus solely on inaccuracies in reporting (not that the facts aren’t important).  Instead I would delve into whether his statement is a signal of something that might be coming?  If they are only at the end of year one of a five year plan to turn things around, then something is not right that this is all coming out now.

There are some questions that need to be asked, some that could be answered by reading the board meeting minutes from the past season:

1. Have there been any additional deadlines set for fund raising goals or debt retirement?
2. Has there been any plan either discussed or passed if fund raising goals are not reached?
3. Are Calder and Weyler unified or are they at odds?
4. Is Calder’s comment about musicians (see below) being underpaid have something behind it?
5. Has that been brought up at the board level, that there could be some reduction or downsizing as part of a long range contingency plan?
6. What is the board’s official position on the current state of affairs?

Also, correct me if I’m wrong, is it not true that the musicians contract has or is about to expire?  The only thing I found was this release about their current agreement, nothing about a new agreement or any negotiations.  Here’s what sent up another proverbial red flag, these two comments by Elaine Calder:

We went to our major donors , people with the greatest investment in the community, and told them that ‘If things continue this way, we’ll go out of business, but we can work our way out of this mess

and

We are very aware that a one-year improvement does not constitute a trend, and that some of the easiest and most obvious decisions have now been taken. And we have not yet come close to breaking even. Next year and in succeeding seasons it will be harder to achieve such significant improvements. Controlling our overhead expenses will always be difficult, especially as these figures include our musicians who have long been under-compensated in comparison with orchestras elsewhere in the country, and who are now facing higher costs of living in this community. Sustaining our current annual fund levels in a shrinking economy is also a challenge. However, we believe that if we continue to program carefully, listen to our audiences and manage our inventory wisely, we can gradually refill many of the currently-empty seats at the Schnitz

Now compare this with these comments by Tony Beadle and “Buzz” Trafford in this article about  the Columbus Symphony from September 2007:

“There clearly is a structural issue that we need to address, and the board is working on a strategic plan to address it,” said Buzz Trafford, board president.

“There’s a fundamental mismatch between the revenue that can be raised and the expense associated with presenting our programs.”

The cumulative deficits have largely drained reserves while reducing assets, he said.

“We’re down toward the end of the rope. I’m very optimistic about our ability to survive, but it will require some changes to the business plan and additional support from the community.”

With further borrowing, Beadle said, the orchestra could avoid cash-flow problems in the coming season.

Remember a large donation was made for the Columbus season to finish, and we now know what happened (and is happening) there!  It just seems that similar signals are being sent from Oregon except they have a credit line of $7million that they have already spent so further borrowing doesn’t seem to be an option.  I’m not saying that it will go the same way as Columbus, but similar statements are being made and the only true indication of what is happening or what will happen can only be found in the board minutes, not here or in any article.  Unfortunately according to this reference guide to Oregon’s Public Meetings Law, not-for-profits are exempt from having to hold their meetings in public which means the meeting minutes are probably exempt from having to be made public also.  However that doesn’t mean that they can’t be asked for along with an explanation as to why they wouldn’t be released if there is a refusal to provide them.  I imagine there are musician representatives on the board that could shed some light unless these issues were discussed in executive session for which they will have been excused.

The discussion should not be about what “he said”, “she said”, but what “they are doing”!   It’s time for the rise of the Oregon Minute(s)men!