Side issues must not derail progress for Philharmonic

February 4, 2023 - We write to urge an end to the Philharmonic strike. We encourage both parties to put aside non-financial issues for the present given that, as has been reported, agreement has been reached on a financial package.

The Fort Wayne Philharmonic is the crown jewel of the arts in northeast Indiana. Much as first-class educational institutions and exceptional parks and green spaces burnish the reputations of their communities, outstanding orchestras are prestigious and welcoming symbols of the energy and momentum those places represent.

We believe our orchestra is comparable in quality to those in larger cities. We should be enormously proud of it, and work to sustain and extend its impact.

We believe that the quality of our orchestra’s performances is as much an essential asset as product quality is for any industry. Any business that deliberately acts to reduce the quality of its product is preparing for failure and decline.

Instead, the orchestra demonstrates, by virtue of its quality, its economic development power in this region and its enduring ability to enrich the lives it touches again and again.

We believe an investment in the orchestra is on par in significance with other investments in quality of life, place and opportunity – investments we have come to value as competitive imperatives.

We recognize that financial pressures over the past decade and more have stressed the relationship the musicians and the board once enjoyed, affecting the bond of mutual cooperation and a unified vision for orchestral music in northeast Indiana.

The sense of urgency we mean to convey is that our orchestra exists to be enjoyed by everyone, young and old, of all races and all economic circumstances. When it is silent, everyone is deprived of great music and its transformative role – from schoolchildren to residents of nursing homes, from lovers of popular music to those who grew up hearing the great classics performed by this same orchestra.

We’ve noted that numerous letters to the editor have expressed similar deep feelings for the orchestra. We join our voices to theirs.

It is our sincere hope, call it advice, that now that the financial terms have been agreed upon, the other issues can be put off to future negotiations.

We understand that a constructive operational environment existed in the past. It is that mutually respectful equilibrium that is sought again. It is that collegial spirit that allowed the orchestra to reach its professional excellence.

We want to see it reinvigorated, even as we want to see the players back on stage. Our community wants to see the players back on stage.

Only time, and hard work, will tell whether the current financial package is sustainable. However, we commend the board for its efforts to raise funds for now and for the future.

As with all businesses and nonprofits, what matters is the value created for the customer – in this case concertgoers as well as the community. The Philharmonic is a community service organization that should focus on creating value. Value is a magnet for support, both moral and fiscal.

We are aware that the number of concerts has been reduced over the past 15 years or so, slowly curtailing the reach of the orchestra locally and throughout northeast Indiana. Putting on more concerts, of all kinds, appears to us to be the most promising path to sustainability and stability.

Once the contract is signed, and for the full term of the contract, we urge the players to work in partnership with management and the board to resolve any potential disagreements not covered in the contract, swiftly and to the benefit of the entire organization.

Similarly, we hope that management and the board will recognize the players’ worth on and off the stage, and will seek to nurture their talents and to find ways to retain and attract the best musicians possible. We urge the board and management to honor the players’ voice and their singular contributions to the future of the orchestra.

Orchestral musicians are similar to professors in a fine college or university. They are highly talented, educated and dedicated. They are masters of their craft. Many of them have been in the orchestra for decades. Their perspective and insights are unique and vital to its future growth.

The board is composed of successful and prominent leaders who have made the tough decisions necessary to present an acceptable financial package to the players. We applaud their efforts in that regard.

All the more reason that both parties focus on what has been resolved, rededicating themselves to fairness and cooperation, and most of all, reigniting the music. Our hope is that the musicians and board will come together soon to secure the future of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic.

The authors
Tom Borne, Past Board Chair of the Embassy Theater Foundation
Karl Einolf, Ph.d, President, Indiana Tech
Geoff Gephart, former President of Arts United
Jeffrey Strayer, Senior Lecturer Emeritus, Purdue Fort Wayne
William C. Lee. Past Board Chair of the Philharmonic
Melanie Thexton Hall
Peter G. Mallers, Past Board Chair of the Philharmonic
Barb Richards, radio/TV/venue marketer, community arts supporter and volunteer
Rev. John P. Gardner
John A. Hoffman
Kara Kelley, President and CEO, Asher Agency

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