Alex Yates

Ballet to scrap orchestra
Recorded music will save thousands of dollars

By KIRSTEN TAGAMI
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 07/21/2006

In a move its says will save more than $400,000 annually, the Atlanta
Ballet has made the "hard decision" to use only recorded music for
future productions, starting with its season opener, "Giselle," in
October.

Ballet officials told members of the company's orchestra Thursday that
they won't renew the musicians' three-year contract, which expires at
the end of August, said production director David Tatu. The ballet
plans to offer a severance package to the 48 union musicians in its
orchestra.

"This was a hard decision," Tatu said. "These people have been a part
of our family."

Andrew Cox, secretary-treasurer of the Atlanta Federation of Musicians
Local 148-462, said Thursday that he couldn't comment on the ballet's
decision because he hadn't had time to discuss it with members and the
union's lawyers.

Tatu said that using prerecorded music will cost less than $80,000 a
year, versus the nearly $500,000 spent last year for live music.

The change should not be a big adjustment for dancers, because the
Atlanta Ballet already uses recorded music for its traveling shows and
for rehearsals, said artistic director John McFall. Typically, the
ballet has used live music in its performances at the Fox Theatre.

The ballet's most recent financial filing, for the fiscal year ending
July 2005, show it in the black with an annual budget of more than $7
million. This year, however, the ballet is operating at a loss and
needs to cut costs in order to stay on track financially, Tatu said.

The Atlanta Ballet is facing some of the same challenges as other arts
organizations, including people cutting back on their discretionary
spending because of rising gas prices, Tatu said.

Many professional ballet companies have begun using recorded music to
save money, although leading ballets such as the New York City Ballet
and the San Francisco Ballet still employ live orchestras, said James
Fayette, an executive with the American Guild of Musical Artists in
New York. "Orchestras are very expensive," he said.

Even the famed American Ballet Theatre faced a threatened strike last
year by musicians when the company wanted the right to use a virtual
orchestra machine called a Sinfonia for some productions. The ballet
later signed a contract agreeing to use only live musicians.

The issue also has affected Broadway. In 2003, almost every musical on
Broadway shut down for four days after contract negotiations with
musicians broke down. Producers had hoped to keep the shows going by
replacing live musicians with virtual orchestras, but actors refused
to cross picket lines.

In contrast to the Atlanta Ballet's decision, the Gwinnett Ballet
Theatre is moving ahead with its fledgling orchestra, said Predrag
Gosta, founder and artistic director of the acclaimed New Trinity
Baroque early music ensemble. He was tapped to be the Gwinnett
Ballet's new music director and conducted a 28-piece orchestra for the
ballet's production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in March.

Gosta said he was saddened by the Atlanta Ballet's news.

"It does surprise me," Gosta said. "I would have thought the Atlanta
Ballet would be stronger than a lot of smaller companies. It suggests
a bad future for all of us. On the other hand, I do understand what
it's like to deal with financial difficulties in the arts."

B15M

Why don't they just show a movie of a ballet?

Alex Yates

VERY good point B15. Showing a movie would save them even more money, right? It only makes sense since dancers are so very expensive. (tongue completely in cheek)

The entire scenario makes me sick to my stomach.

uatrmpt

So, does that mean I can bring my college marching band CD and let them use that for the next production of Appalachian Spring? I mean, we only did three minutes or so of it; but, it's loud!

__________________
--Matt--

tpter1

I got it! Eureka! They could make the audience sing it and save even more! Or maybe just download some cheap (free!) MIDI files!

What's next? pre-recorded opera orchestras? Maybe they could hire a mannican to sit at a desk in the business office...might do a better job.

__________________
-Glenn
"Roses have thorns; shining waters mud. Clouds and eclipses stain the moon and the sun; and history reeks of the wrongs we have done. After today, after today, consider me gone."- Sting

Manny Laureano

Idiots.



ML

wiseone2

That is an apt description of some very big name ballet people.
One stated over dinner and lots of drinks, that she preferred taped music to live because tapes never made errors She is now the director of the company of which she once was the Prima Ballerina. Guess who aint being hired

Wilmer

__________________
Be sure Brain is engaged before putting Mouthpiece in gear.
S.Suark 1951

Mikey

Diva B*&%#!

MrClean

Disgusting. I hope the powers that be "bottom line" that company out of business.

J

Corsair

Like the movie, Amadeus, play the ballet without the orchestra. Like playing a trumpet without the lips vibrating. But, using a recorded embouchure.