Grants, donations help keep symphonies afloat
Musicians also have coped by scheduling online concerts, lessons
New Mexico’s two major symphonies are surviving the coronavirus outbreak through a combination of donations and grants.
The New Mexico Philharmonic is still paying its musicians, thanks so a Small Business Association loan of $277,000, Executive Director Marian Tanau said.
The loan is for a payment protection plan that turns into a grant.
Organizers canceled the original spring dates of the orchestra’s remaining four concerts because of COVID-19. They have been rescheduled for later in the year.
A spring fundraising campaign also has netted about $60,000, Tanau said.
“People are very much coming out and helping us out,” he said. “I think for now we are in a safe place. We don’t have a lot of debt.”
The Santa Fe Symphony’s five spring concerts account for 30% of its ticket revenue.
“It’s a huge disappointment to cancel the remaining concerts of the season,” Executive Director Daniel Crupi said. “It’s been devastating for the musicians, to be sure.”
But the orchestra raised $20,000 in emergency relief for its musicians in a matter of days. Patrons have donated tickets to help ensure the symphony’s survival, Crupi added.
Many of the musicians with second incomes have donated their emergency relief funds to help their colleagues who rely on their concert income alone.
Organizers also have applied for $168,000 in federal payroll protection grants. The symphony will launch its spring fundraiser in mid-May, using its remaining $60,000 in sponsorships as a challenge grant.
“So far, every single sponsor I’ve spoken to has been very generous and very enthusiastic,” Crupi said.
The musicians have coped by scheduling online concerts and lessons.
“I think morale around the orchestra is still pretty high,” Crupi continued. “My highest priority is to see that they and all our artists are taken care of.”
The Philharmonic rescheduled several of its classics and pops concerts for the fall, including Prokovfiev’s “Romeo and Juliet” on Sept. 12. Carl Orff’s choral masterpiece “Carmina Burana” is scheduled as a fundraiser on Sept. 19 with the New Mexico Symphonic Chorus, with Hannah Stephens, Sam Shepperson and Hugh Russell performing at Popejoy. The orchestra will perform the pops concert “From Star Wars to Superman” on Oct. 3. Famed classical pianist Olga Kern will play Beethoven’s Concerto No. 5 on Oct. 31. Tickets to all the postponed concerts will be honored.
The musicians will squeeze in the rescheduled shows within their regular fall programming.