The Cincinnati Enquirer

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra isn't alone in having tough financial times.

Large orchestras such as those in Chicago, Pittsburgh and St. Louis also are struggling with big deficits. The Pittsburgh orchestra last May put its home, Heinz Hall, on the block for $40 million in hopes of beefing up its endowment.

Musicians have accepted significant pay cuts in Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Portland, Ore., and St. Paul, Minn. Orchestras in Cleveland, Houston and Tulsa have trimmed back performance schedules and cut staff and musicians. In January, the administrative staff - not musicians - was cut by 10 percent at the Philadelphia Orchestra, which is running a $1.17 million deficit on a $35.7 million budget.

Musicians and staff at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, led by Cincinnati Symphony artistic director Paavo Jarvi's father, Neeme, agreed in January to work without pay for three weeks this year and two weeks next year. The goal: Save jobs while saving $4 million for the orchestra, which has a new $60 million concert hall - and an accumulated deficit of $2.16 million.

The problem isn't limited to large orchestras. The New Hampshire Symphony, for example, canceled two concerts this month and has threatened to cut some musicians if it can't find more money in the coming months. The orchestras of Rochester and Buffalo, N.Y., might merge to survive.

Outside the United States, the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Symphony has an accumulated deficit of about $180,000 (Canadian). It can't get a loan from a bank, so it's asking the city for $20,000 or it will close. The London Symphony Orchestra is running a deficit for the first time in years, despite the fact that European orchestras typically receive bigger government subsidies than their American counterparts.

According to the American Symphony Orchestra League, eight orchestras have filed for bankruptcy in recent years.

Last June, the Louisville Orchestra narrowly avoided filing for bankruptcy. The same month, the defunct Colorado Springs Symphony auctioned off its assets, including office equipment and musical instruments, to pay creditors.

A month later, the San Antonio Symphony filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

In December 2002, San Jose's 123-year-old symphony permanently shut down. In 2003, the orchestra in Savannah, Ga., also closed.