Two Poweful Commentaries

Letters to the Editor From "The Other Paper"

COLUMBUS SHOULD BE EMBARRASSED

It is with much regret (and more than a small amount of embarrassment) that I have watched from afar the continued problems, and potential demise, of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (*CSO sides are talking, musicians are playing" July 10).
More troubling, however, than the mere problems faced by the symphony is the mentality apparently held by certain citizens of the city as to the importance - and necessity - of maintaining and properly funding such a talented artistic organization.

As a 26-year resident of Columbus who has spent the past four ;years living in Washington, D.C., I can attest firsthand to the benefits of living in a city that values both philosophically and financially, the cultural and artistic institutions that help weave the fabric that constitutes a healthy, vibrant, livable community.

As much as well-kept parklands and green space contribute to the general welfare of a community's citizens by offering opportunities for recreation and relaxation among aesthetically pleasing environments, so too do a community's cultural institutions offer opportunities for education, enrichment and enjoyment in ways not available through other means. It is the reason why cities across the U.S., from our nation's largest metropolises to smaller burgs such as Springfield, Mo., or Pocatello, Idaho, have consistently sought to preserve and enhance such institutions for the general betterment of their citizens. To not do so would be to strip away an exceptional cultural and educational experience for both today's generations and those yet to come.

Now Columbus stands poised to become one of those few American cities to stand forth and soundly reject such a notion.

It is true that institutions such as the CSO have an implicit duty to reach out to the community in order to garner the widest possible audience for their offerings. It is also true that in this age of fewer financial resources and tightened budgets, those funds designated for artistic and cultural entities are typically among the first to be trimmed. But the city of Columbus would be ill-advised to allow an institution such as the CSO to fail by the wayside simply because the city did not see fit to preserve it.

It is beyond the limits of my imagination to conceive of a Washington, D.C. that did noot include the gorgeous sounds of the National Symphony Orchestra rising through the symphonic hall at the Kennedy Center. It would be a tremendous shame if the citizens of Columbus did not feel the same way about their own.
Benjamin Harris
Washington, D.C.


Letter to the Editor From "The Other Paper"

GIVE THE CHAIRS AND SHEET MUSIC BACK

Most Central Ohio residents are aware of the Columbus Symphony board's scandalous mismanagement that resulted in a "suspension" of CSO performances. They have illegally broken the musician's contract and have ceased operations as of June 1, 2008.

Our brilliantly talented symphony musicians have been left high and dry without income or benefits.

Those of us who attended the extremely enjoyable concert July 12 at Vet's Memorial of the Columbus Symphony musicians also learned that the board is holding stage equipment (chairs, music stands, etc.) hostage; worse, the board is doing the same with the CSO music library. Are board honchos Robert "Buzz" Trafford and Eric Sutphin planning to to on tour, performing all of those orchestral scores?

It's one thing that these "charming gentlemen" may want to keep the stage equipment to auction off to the highest bidder but what are they doing with all those scores in the music library? The musicians had to borrow stage equipment and scores from a number of Ohio orchestras and colleges in order to perform this past week-end. This just adds to the embarrassment and absurdity that the board has heaped on these musicians as well as on every resident of Central Ohio.

Give those scores to the musicians boys! You probably can't even read music.

Martin Buck