Posted by Steve Marcus on January 09, 2002 at 11:19:57:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: No Tuba Audition for Civc!?!?!?!?! posted by their response on January 09, 2002 at 10:38:35:
CSO had prided itself for being in the black for many years. With the red ink in Chicago this year, caused partially by cutbacks in corporate giving, came the closing of CSO's "ECHO" music education studio and the termination of live weekly concert broadcasts.
Long-term recording contracts have also reached their terminus; Barenboim and troops are now recording their final projects for Teldec. With all of these cutbacks, it's very sad but not surprising that the changes in Civic have been announced.
As a Chicago audience member, I'd happily pay a nominal amount to hear the Civic Orchestra live with full instrumentation rather than maintain its current free admission only to hear a wire choir. Civic is not only a unique training organization for aspiring professional musicians, but also an ensemble that has been critiqued as on a level with some of the finer professional orchestras in the country. What a shame.
Perhaps Jay Bertolet, our resident expert on orchestral administration, would have a take on this matter. Jay?