Out of tune
Amid claims it’s struggling to attract top musicians, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra fears it won’t be able to perform to an international standard unless it gets more government funding. Tom Cardy reports.
IN 2010 after the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra performed a sold-out concert at the prestigious Wiener Musikverein concert hall in Vienna, a German newspaper said the NZSO ‘‘can, without fear, allow themselves to be compared with leading European ensembles’’.
This backed one of the objectives of the NZSO, which is enshrined in law. The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Act states that it must perform symphonic music ‘‘to an international standard’’.
But in 2015 the NZSO’s status as a world-class orchestra could be at risk. Government documents paint a picture of the Wellington-based institution, which performed on the soundtrack to The Hobbit trilogy, as underfunded and struggling to hire and keep world-class musicians.
The NZSO gets $13.4 million a year from the Government, but that’s been frozen since 2008. By the end of next year it will equate to a funding cut of about $2.75 million a year in real terms, according to an Office of the Auditor General briefing paper to the Government in June.
Last year, the NZSO also earned $5.4 million from concerts and other work, about $500,000 less than budgeted. While it budgeted a deficit of $125,00 for this year, recent projections expect the deficit to more than double to $268,000.
The orchestra’s forecast of a total audience this year of 97,000 is also 8000 fewer than budgeted.
The NZSO has also aired its own concerns. In its Statement of Intent 2015-2018 it points out that since the Global Financial Crisis some large or national orchestras overseas have closed down.
The Statement of Intent says ongoing increases in operating costs can’t be offset by increases in income from performances or non-government funding.
‘‘In the longer term it is unlikely that a full time national touring symphony orchestra as mandated by current legislation can be indefinitely sustained without additional government funding.’’
Changes, including costcutting can only go so far, it says. ‘‘The labour and production requirements for a live performance of a symphony by Brahms remain as they were at the time of its first performance.’’
NZSO chief executive Christopher Blake says frozen government funding is having an impact, but the orchestra ‘‘has adopted plans and strategies to ensure financial sustainability and is developing options for the longer term future of the NZSO. These include consideration of government funding levels as well as other initiatives, such as the plan to become resident in the Wellington Town Hall’’.
The town hall is to be earthquake strengthened and transformed into a music hub, involving the NZSO and Victoria University.
When asked if the Government was concerned about the NZSO asking for additional funding and whether the Government would consider it, Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Maggie Barry says Blake and NZSO board chairman Donald Best ‘‘have a realistic grasp of NZSO’s finances and, as their minister, I am confident they are running the orchestra within their budget. I would also encourage the NZSO Foundation to step up and continue its fundraising efforts’’.
Barry says she meets regularly with both men and they are enthusiastic about future plans for the orchestra, including the hub.
But, according to a government estimates document, the orchestra has also been finding it difficult to recruit ‘‘high quality orchestral players’’.
‘‘In some principal positions where recruitment has been difficult over a sustained period, global expressions of interest have been invited as an alternative to the generic auditioning process.’’
Personnel – 90 musicians and 28 administration staff – are the orchestra’s single biggest cost. Last year, 10 staff were paid more than $100,000 a year, including the chief executive.
Blake says the NZSO has ‘‘no extraordinary difficulties’’ in recruiting principals, who are the leaders of groups of musicians in the orchestra who play the same instrument. ‘‘The recruitment of permanent players is a lengthy process and ensuring new principals are appropriate for the NZSO’s established ensemble can be challenging. The NZSO continues to attract a wide range of quality applicants for trial and has concluded three appointments over the year to date.’’
THE Office of Auditor General report says the orchestra’s players haven’t had a pay rise since a 1.5 per cent increase in 2012 ‘‘and there is likely to be pressure for a salary adjustment in the near future’’.
But the estimates document says because the orchestra hasn’t had a funding increase since 2008 ‘‘there is very little financial capacity . .th. to accommodate such a salary adjustment’’.
Most of the players were on a Collective Employment Agreement which expired at the end of 2013. A new agreement has yet to be signed.
The warnings about the NZSO’s financial situation come just two years after the completion of an extensive review of New Zealand’s orchestra sector. An earlier discussion document had even suggested an extreme option of ditching the NZSO, which was quickly dismissed by thenminister Chris Finlayson.
The review found that all of New Zealand’s orchestras should be retained, but that the NZSO should focus on providing high-quality performances in larger venues and no longer play in centres with populations under 50,000.
Finlayson stated at the time: ‘‘This report will help us build on existing strengths in order to deliver even better experiences in a way that benefit New Zealanders.’’
Blake says the NZSO is meeting the requirements of the review and meeting its recommendations ahead of deadlines.
‘‘Touring patterns have been adjusted to focus on population centres in excess of 50,000.’’
Personnel – 90 musicians and 28 administration staff – are the orchestra’s single biggest cost. Last year, 10 staff were paid more than $100,000 a year, including the chief executive.