In Monday’s (12/17) Observer-Dispatch (Utica, New York), Sara Tracey writes, “The Utica Symphony Orchestra will not perform a concert by the end of the year—a tentative goal made in the fall. But that doesn’t mean curtains for the orchestra. Its Board of Directors is taking several steps to raise money and hopes to bring the symphony back to a full crescendo, perhaps as soon as spring 2013. As of right now, the symphony is in the black with its $100,000 debt that originally halted its fall 2011 season, said Gus DeTraglia, the board’s president. But the orchestra is caught in a vicious cycle: To put on concerts, it needs to make money. A big money-maker for the symphony is its performances. … Currently, the symphony has about half of the money it would take to put on a concert, [DeTraglia] said. … Musicians from the disbanded symphony still are connected with the board through their union. There is not a current contract with the union, but monthly discussions have been taking place to determine whether those musicians will come back.”
Posted December 17, 2012
