In Wednesday’s (5/27) Guardian (London), Tom Service writes, “Celebrating his 50-year association with the London Symphony Orchestra, including 12 as principal conductor, Sir Colin Davis has done something pretty remarkable for the LSO. Putting his money where his mouth is, he’s pledged what a spokesperson called a ‘significant amount of money’ towards the orchestra’s endowment fund. His challenge for the LSO’s fans and audiences is to increase the fund by £1m. … Sir Colin’s idea makes good business sense. In an era in which British orchestras are going to find money squeezed from both the public purse and the private sector, having a sizeable endowment fund is exactly the kind of financial safety net that could prove essential in the future. And the Obama-style approach of going for small sums from as wide a range of people as possible, flyering them at concerts and setting up an online appeal, is a good way of creating a community of stakeholders for the orchestra. … If the scheme works to swell the LSO’s coffers, I can imagine every other British orchestra looking on with envy.”
Posted May 27, 2009
