Letter to Mayor Coleman

Mayor Michael Coleman
City Hall
90 West Broad Street
Columbus, Ohio 43062

Dear Mayor Coleman:

I sincerely hope you are getting more and more letters such as this one about the plight of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. I am dismayed at the prospect of this city losing such an esteemed organization, and I am even more appalled that government officials have merely voiced mild concern over this issue. I do not think that the musicians, Board of Directors, or anyone else expects you or another government official to directly mediate this situation, but the fact that more has not been done to help alleviate this crisis could put this city on the edge of decline.

In the, Dispatch, other newspapers, and on local television news, I have heard a great deal about your desire to improve and revitalize the downtown area. I think this is a wonderful and admirable idea, but I think that your idea of streetcars connecting suburbs and the OSU campus to downtown does not help with the revitalization at all. The key to bringing downtown Columbus back to life is actually giving people a reason to go downtown. The only time I have ventured downtown since I have lived here (about a year, so far) has been for the symphony’s concerts. When I have gone on a Sunday for a matinee, NOTHING was open. Any businesses that have survived can only afford to be open during the week. There are very few shops, the theaters have occasional shows, and restaurants are barely open. How does spending millions of dollars on a streetcar system make it anymore appealing to go downtown?

This city must work to save its symphony. It is a first and crucial step to keeping the arts scene in Columbus vibrant, and it will give people more of a reason to come downtown on a weekend or evening. I am speaking as a concerned citizen of this city, but I also happen to be the wife of a symphony musician. Since I have been able to hear most of the details of this whole debacle, I know that the musicians are not just grumbling about the money. Yes, we all have families to support and money is important in that, but these musicians have a passion about what they do. They want to give back to the community, become more involved, and use their talents to make Columbus a better city.

The fact of the matter is the Board has placed almost all the burden of relieving the symphony of its debt on the musicians’ salaries and benefits. What about the 17 administrative employees I counted, those listed in a concert program, which the Symphony pays? What about the Executive Director who does not even have legal residence in Columbus? I know the Dispatch has shed some light on the fact that the Music Director Junichi Hirokami also does not reside in Columbus, but in this day and age a conductor must live and travel internationally to have any real acclaim and experience in the music world. Columbus should count itself lucky to have such a passionate and talented man leading their Symphony and supporting these musicians. I can't imagine that Board officially forbids supporting the musicians as part of Hirokami’s contract. I do not understand why that should have been made such an inflammatory issue. Hirokami has made himself available whenever he has traveled to the US to help fundraise. It is known that he even has attempted to raise funds from Japanese companies in America (Hirokami is somewhat of a celebrity in his native Japan). Those companies did not want to give their money to the current Board and management because of issues with previous donations and certain members of the current administration.

What this Symphony needs is fresh leadership from people who want this organization to prosper. In better hands, the current debt could be eliminated, a much-needed endowment could be started to insure the future of the Columbus Symphony, and perhaps a new performing arts center could be built in the coming years to house the Symphony as well as other Columbus arts organizations who would benefit from better acoustics, cheaper rent, and state-of-the-art technology.

By taking steps to help this Symphony, Columbus could be one step closer to becoming the jewel of Ohio and the Midwest. I challenge you and your constituents to become more involved in helping save one of the main attractions in downtown Columbus. Every voice counts. If the Symphony does not survive, you will be losing a great many intelligent, talented individuals to other cities, businesses will not be attracted to a town that cannot support an arts community, and Columbus will not be able to continue to grow and prosper.

Sincerely,
A Concerned Columbus Citizen