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Atlanta Ballet Re-Hires its Orchestra
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
They’ll dance to live music again.
The Atlanta Ballet, which sparked a firestorm of controversy in 2006 when it scrapped its orchestra to cut costs, will return musicians to the pit for much of the 2008-2009 season, beginning Oct. 23 with “Swan Lake.”
Executive director Barry Hughson reached a deal last week with the Atlanta Federation of Musicians union to contract the orchestra for select performances.
The deal is for the current season only, made possible by a one-year, $200,000 gift from Patti Wallace, a trustee of the ballet who keeps a condo at Midtown’s Four Seasons hotel and lives in Montgomery, Ala., where she runs a nursing and rehabilitation management company.
“I fell in love with the Atlanta Ballet many years ago,” Wallace said, “and I’ve always believed in the special importance of an orchestra with the ballet.”
In terms of philanthropy, she said the gift was also meant “to raise the bar for the trustees. I wanted to set an example for the others.”
Another Atlanta Ballet trustee, Kristine Robison, pledged $50,000 to fund a conductor for the season.
The professional, unionized orchestra — up to 48 musicians, same size as before they switched to recorded music — will accompany “Swan Lake” in October, “Dracula” in February and the world premiere of artistic director John McFall’s “Don Quixote” in May. For these three shows, the ballet will perform at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.
The ballet’s “The Nutcracker” — a hugely popular cash-cow that remains at the Fox Theatre in Midtown — will be danced to live music only for its opening weekend, Dec. 5-7. Recorded music will be heard at the remaining performances.
With an annual budget of almost $8 million, the Atlanta Ballet is Georgia’s only fully professional dance company and, at 79, the nation’s oldest in continuous existence.
In addition to scrapping the orchestra in 2006 in an attempt to right its financial tilt, the ballet also sold its Midtown headquarters last year to retire a $2.75 million debt. The company is preparing to move into cheaper digs in a renovated warehouse in Northwest Atlanta.
Earlier this year, the ballet signed a five-year contract to perform at the Cobb Energy center, joining Atlanta Opera and Atlanta Broadway Series as the venue’s resident companies.
Soon after Hughson was hired last year, he crafted a five-year business plan that included restoring the orchestra in the 2009-10 season.
“With the success of the move to Cobb,” said Hughson, “I felt there was momentum to accelerate the return to live music. We felt a single donor could show that we’re getting out of crisis management.”
After the ballet did not renew its orchestral contract in 2006, protesters greeted audiences outside the theater with picket signs (“Live Ballet Needs Live Music!”). Under the old contract, each rank-and-file musician earned about $110 per rehearsal and performance, totalling less than $6,000 a year. The new contract starts at $118 per session.
McFall, who led the company as both artistic director and CEO when the decision was made to use recorded music, said he’s relieved the orchestra will return.
“Speaking for artists,” McFall said, “when you use audio tape it’s a little predictable, needless to say. Performing to live music, there’s a richness and it’s a more complete experience. For the patrons, too.”
Freelance musician Charae Krueger, who was principal cellist in the old ballet orchestra and sits in the same seat for the Atlanta Opera Orchestra, expects the ballet to rehire the same people.
“In our [union] meetings we were just really happy that there’s money again to pay us,” she said.
Wallace has been a regular major donor, especially to the company’s annual fund, which helps cover payroll costs. Her $200,000 gift for the orchestra is her largest to the company, although not the largest in its history, said Hughson.
He said the plan is to continue with live music past the current season, although the ballet still needs to find orchestra funds for the future.
“We intend to keep them playing,” Hughson said, “but we’re not out of the woods; we have a long way to go to meet our financial responsibilities.”
Permalink | Comments (16) | Post your comment | Categories: dance
Comments
By kpoe
September 22, 2008 12:23 PM | Link to this
Huzzah! This is awesome. I have never been to the ballet here besides the Nutcracker (embarrassing, I know) and was thrilled to hear the Atlanta Ballet would be at the Cobb Energy Centre this season. I am simply beside myself that the dancers will be supported by actual musicians! See all y’all there.
By D.Turner
September 22, 2008 12:51 PM | Link to this
Ballet should be a whole experience as it was in the inception of the artform. REAL MUSICIANS…not the ones that continually wind up on the front page of AJC…deserve the support of the community for their talents that have taken a lifetime to develop and spent time & money to train.
I don’t think I would be wrong in making this brash statement…the “musicians” that always taking the main page are the least likely candidate to be a true musician in the sense of actually being able to read and interpret the written score.
If the Ballet troupe fails to support it’s music source in live performance for every show, it’s a hypocritcal passage that is no more worthy of patrons or Arts Council funds than a DJ. Do what’s right; cut out the fat from the budget and charge the patrons accordingly.
Do NOT support the Ballet until they support their professional musicians for ALL of their performances!!
By richmart
September 22, 2008 1:08 PM | Link to this
Don’t listen to D. Turner…. There could be no better show of support for the orchestra than a surge of sales in response to the news that they are back.
By lisa
September 22, 2008 1:30 PM | Link to this
I was a season ticket holder until they scrapped the orchestra. I then scrapped my subscription and have written the ballet several letters stating I will renew my subscription when they renew their contract with the orchestra. Since they’ve gotten partially there, I will meet them halfway and purchase tickets to the shows with a live orchestra. It makes sense to fiscally support the shows that have what I want….. if turnout is higher for shows with a live orchestra, perhaps that will encourage them to reinstate in completely.
By dean
September 22, 2008 2:16 PM | Link to this
there is no substitute for actual live musicians…..
By Beth
September 22, 2008 2:22 PM | Link to this
D.Turner and all others- support the ballet, they NEED support of patrons so that they can financially sustain the cost of having an orchestra!!! times are lean, and the Atlanta Ballet depends on support of PATRONS. therefore, if you want live music, instead of digitally recoreded, then you must be willing to give. Atlanta Ballet is a gift to the community and I am honored we have this world-class arts organization in our city. Blessings to the Atlanta Ballet.
By Beth
September 22, 2008 2:24 PM | Link to this
D.Turner and all others- support the ballet, they NEED support of patrons so that they can financially sustain the cost of having an orchestra!!! times are lean, and the Atlanta Ballet depends on support of PATRONS. therefore, if you want live music, instead of digitally recoreded, then you must be willing to give. Atlanta Ballet is a gift to the community and I am honored we have this world-class arts organization in our city. Blessings to the Atlanta Ballet.
By D.Turner
September 22, 2008 2:28 PM | Link to this
Perhaps richmart missed the point of my message….by all means support the orchestra, but give the ballet the opportunity to make up their minds whether they want to be a real ballet…or a canned ballet.
Leave out the orchestra from all of the shows and you wind up with a smoke & mirrors issue. Some days there will be a full troupe and orchestra…and then there will be days where the owners choose to just sell the ticket at the same price to a ballet and MP3 player.
Full time musicians…part of the definition is Full Time. When a real musician takes a contract for a pit, it should be either all of the shows or none of the shows.
Duping the audience with a sales surge to reapply for season tickets only to have part of a performance is not in the best interests of the community.
I would say that lisa’s comments can be a prime example as to why the ballet could fail unless they try a different route. Patrons that attend concerts and performances expect only the best from the community arts…and canned music to the ballet troupe may be fiscally sound but artistically and morally wrong.
I could guarantee that corporate dollars as patrons may be the only source of income without support of dollars from the season ticket and general admissions sales if the Ballet chooses to ignore the other half of the show….the professionally trained musicians in the pit.
The ballet troupe should as well seek to enjoin the actions of a Board that is playing games with the arts community. The trained musicians deserve much better for their legacy over the past few centuries in this particular art that simply being “on call” contract players.
By d.Turner
September 22, 2008 2:50 PM | Link to this
Hi Beth and all….
I do support the Ballet and all the arts…truly do; however, take the capacity of the Fox; take the capacity of the Cobb Centre….multiply those seats by $65 to $85 each; take that product and multiply by 56.
56 is the number of performances from October into May 09. I have not factored the mid-house or less shows, but 56 shows times the capacity (2750 seats for the PAC and 4678 for the Fox) times the rate is a lot of revenue (just for fun, 100% of the gate at an avg $65 each is a little over $31 million dollars of revenue.
The reality will be the actual house percentage…but if the draw isn’t there…it may be exactly as musicians and artists are NOT getting when they buy a ticket and choose not to come back.
The percentage of support is based on the number of seats sold and if there’s a chance that the house is 50% or less…perhaps it’s due in part to a canned music show or a marketing to a tough market.
If it’s considerably less than that, it’s time for a new crew to find a solution as the old has failed at the task.
By Tony
September 22, 2008 3:25 PM | Link to this
I am so pleased that Atlanta Ballet is on the road to fiscal health. As for D. Turner, instead of ridiculing the Ballet’s decision to bring back live music to SOME performances, perhaps you should recognize the fact that the Ballet’s Trustees could have closed up shop two years ago, declared bankrupcy, and Atlanta would be without a professional Ballet company, as has happened in other major cities, including more recently Cleveland and Indianapolis. Pittsburgh Ballet had to cut back on live music, as has Texas Ballet Theatre, as dance companies across America ponder the future. Let’s rejoice in the fact that there are leaders in our community that WILL step up and stand behind building a world-class arts community. The alternative for both dancers and musicians is to end up with NO WORK at all. Professionally trained artists like those who dance on Atlanta Ballet’s stage and play in the Atlanta Ballet’s orchestra deserve to earn a living wage. For that to happen, there has to be significant community support. Ticket sales cover a fraction of the costs associated with any major performing arts institution. If they were to pass along the total cost to each patron, tickets would be out of reach for nearly everyone. If you truly care about the arts in Atlanta, get to the theatre - make a contribution. If that were happening, we wouldn’t need to have this discussion. I just don’t get how bashing an arts institution that is clearly making the effort to get healthy helps anyone. If you feel that strongly about live music, they have now given you ample opportunity to see the Ballet with live music. NOW GO SEE IT!
By D.Turner
September 22, 2008 5:00 PM | Link to this
Bashing is not what’s going on here.
As a musician, I support the effots that go on…but with a potential $32Million to $35Million potential ticket sales revenue from October 08 to May 09; plus corporate patrons along with unpaid staff and volunteers….the musicians ARE a fixture as well as the dance troupe and should be considered as ONE troupe.
If the expenses are too extreme for 56 shows for a poor percentage of turn out for the past two years without pit orchestra…think about how the PR release will play to musicians and ticketed patrons that take umbrage to a canned performance.
A MP3 player with dance troupe is for High School stages. If the costs for 56 shows at the premium centers is too extreme for the return perhaps un-saturating an oversaturated market would be the best method to cut costs. Cramming a years worth of weekly shows into 7 months is pretty high expectations of a community that possibly can attend a production…once a month.
It’s a bitter dose of reality…but it’s time to re-think some goals but not at the expense of the learned musician…or to dupe an audience with canned music.
If the Board wants a true measure of reality….be sure to advertise on the ticket sales which days will be with or without orchestra for the same price posted on the webpages now.
For the benefit of the Union, the Federaton musicians have NOT organized to picket or formally protest because they do have a place in their collective hearts for the arts. However, if the Board chooses to step on toes…expect a picket line with tuxedos and placards for those off-nights.
Getting healthy at the expense of other artists…the faithful musicians…is something to be avoided not encouraged. If the costs are that extreme that a potential $32,000,000 won’t take care of personnel and fixed expenses…it’s time for a 3rd party review of the financials as to why the Atlanta Ballet if failing.
It’s either not enough cash coming in….or too much cash going out. However, the principals of this august body are the artists…and historically this motif of art is both dance and the musicians in live performance.
The artists should ALWAYS be at the very top of this food chain and not somewhere in the middle of the feeding frenzy for costs of operations.
Yes…I support this art but the ARTISTS first and foremost. They’ve spent their lives in preparation of being on stage or in the orchestra. Anything less than 100% performance and full scale in weight to the potentials in ticket sale revenue and fixed corporate revenue is inexcusable.
Support the ARTS but Support the Artists First. If I were in the seat at the Federation, I can assure you that the Artists are ahead of everything else in this partial negotiation of terms.
By Tony
September 22, 2008 6:17 PM | Link to this
I guess that D. Turner is not to be swayed, but he is clearly living in an alternate reality. There is not a ballet company in the country generating $35 million in ticket sales - and certainly not in Atlanta. You gotta get real and join the rest of us in the world of the sane and rational. I am confidant that, with the community’s support, Atlanta Ballet is on the road to recovery, and that live music will ultimately be a permanent part of the equation. I know that I’ll be at the theatre supporting them in every way I can - for the dancers, for the musicians, and for the arts in our community.
By Tony
September 22, 2008 6:19 PM | Link to this
I guess that D. Turner is not to be swayed, but he is clearly living in an alternate reality. There is not a ballet company in the country generating $35 million in ticket sales - and certainly not in Atlanta. You gotta get real and join the rest of us in the world of the sane and rational. I am confidant that, with the community’s support, Atlanta Ballet is on the road to recovery, and that live music will ultimately be a permanent part of the equation. I know that I’ll be at the theatre supporting them in every way I can - for the dancers, for the musicians, and for the arts in our community.
By BPJ
September 23, 2008 9:05 AM | Link to this
I had stopped buying ballet tickets when they stopped having an orchestra. I understand the financial pressures performing arts organizations face, but I wasn’t interested in ballet without the spontaneity that a live orchestra brings.
Now, I’m going back, but of course only to performances with an orchestra. I hope there will be a surge in ticket sales which will allow the ballet to bring the musicians back full-time.
For anyone to say, “I won’t go back until there are no performances with recorded music” is a classic instance of making the perfect the enemy of the good.
By Gail R. Starr
September 24, 2008 8:12 AM | Link to this
This is truly “music to our ears”. We were so dissappointed with the canned music that we simply stopped attending the Ballet. Now, we will be sure to purchase tickets for the performances with live music! This is a breath of fresh air!
By michael
September 25, 2008 1:54 PM | Link to this
D. Turner’s talent must be solely that of an artist, because D. Turner clearly has no business sense. The Ballet did not become financially challenged overnight and must crawl before it dances to recovery. In fact, financial troubles grew to a crescendo after the Ballet’s “artistic” director also tried to play the part of “executive” director for the past several years before the arrival of businessman Barry Hughson. I suppose D. Turner would have had the trustees close up shop rather than devising a workable business plan to bring our nation’s oldest ballet back to financial stability. Art based institutions never cash flow without significant philanthropy, but it is the arrogant, stubborn, you owe me, my-way-or-the-highway attitudes of the D. Turner’s of the world that cause many philanthropist to take pause at supporting D. Turner’s type of cause.