“The Orchester de Paris, an independent entity since its inception 50 years ago, will merge, by 2019, with its home base, the Philharmonie,” writes Susan Elliott in Friday’s (5/4) MusicalAmerica.com (subscription required). “Le Figaro puts the decision at the hands of the French Ministry of Culture, which funds the orchestra at 60 percent, and the City of Paris, at 40 percent. The orchestra will continue to be responsible for its own programming and touring. In a joint statement, Culture Minister Francoise Nyssen and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said, ‘By creating the Orchester de Paris in 1967, [its] founding fathers André Malraux and Marcel Landowski [were] entrusted with the mission of spearheading the French symphonic life. [We] have decided to give renewed impetus to this ambition, by making the Orchester de Paris fully benefit from the dynamic context created by the tremendous success of the Philharmonic de Paris’ … Philharmonie President Laurent Bayle, who will oversee the merged entity, said the idea was to give the orchestra a higher international profile and to enable a less complex sponsorship structure. He also said all current musician and administrative staff contract would be respected…. ‘It is not a merger to delete jobs,’ he said.”
Posted May 7, 2018
