Imminent demise of the European Union Youth Orchestra..

[french frank]

I think the orchestra is a wonderful institution BUT if it is SO vital to all the other ensembles in the EU why hasn't it made partnerships with them in order to apply for the EU funds in that way? Those folks who I encounter who know about this stuff have been doing this for years.

It looks as if the orchestra did apply under the new rules, and got its year's funding for 2014/15: "The European Union Youth Orchestra successfully applied for funding in 2014, and its project [sic] came to an end, as planned, in 2015." Statement of Commissioner Navracsics).

It applied this year and against the competition for grants it lost out. Is the EU Chamber Orchestra is fully funded by the EU? Baroque Orchestra?

[MrGongGong]

It applied this year and against the competition for grants it lost out.

This is always a problem with many music organisations
If it were never possible for new ensembles, festivals or initiatives to get funding because the established organisations take all the money there is a possibility of real stagnation. In England we have seen this many times. The Wilding Report of 1989 which I seem to recall suggested reducing the number of London orchestras in receipt of Arts Council Funding in order to fund other things, caused such a fuss that the head of music at the Arts Council was forced to resign and the orchestras were maintained. Many folks were delighted BUT the effect of this did mean it was almost impossible for a new initiative to get money.

If should be possible to start new things and get funded but no-one (not even the South Bank or ROH who receive massive amounts of money) should automatically get funded for ever.

[aeolium]

If should be possible to start new things and get funded but no-one (not even the South Bank or ROH who receive massive amounts of money) should automatically get funded for ever.

But that can mean that the removal of funding even for a single year will result in the demise of an institution that has taken (in some cases) decades to get up and running to a very high level, like an orchestra.

The "project" mindset that seems to have bedevilled the EUYO's funding on this occasion is something I have come across in a quite different area, working for the CAB a few years ago. Funding for much of the work we were doing was tied to short-term and quite artificially devised projects simply because that was what the bureaucracy needed to justify continuing funding - even though the work was obviously needed and required continuity of funding to work most effectively. It meant endless and largely pointless reapplications for funding to continue the work under another guise - something many organisations I suspect must be familiar with.

[MrGongGong]

But that can mean that the removal of funding even for a single year will result in the demise of an institution that has taken (in some cases) decades to get up and running to a very high level, like an orchestra.

Yes it can
But that's the gig i'm afraid (as the London Mozart Players)

I'm not sure that orchestras (and I work for many) should be a special case.

[oddoneout]

It is sad but then again 40 years is a pretty good innings, especially considering how things have changed. The EC has doubled in size to become the EU, which can't make selection any easier. My two sisters auditioned successfully(although only one was subsequently needed and played with the orchestra) at its inception as the ECYO - which makes me feel rather old....
It would be good to think that funds not used now for the EUYO could be used to ensure access to instrumental opportunities for youngsters across the EU, but sadly I doubt that will be the case.

[Hornspieler]

It is sad but then again 40 years is a pretty good innings, especially considering how things have changed. The EC has doubled in size to become the EU, which can't make selection any easier. My two sisters auditioned successfully(although only one was subsequently needed and played with the orchestra) at its inception as the ECYO - which makes me feel rather old....
It would be good to think that funds not used now for the EUYO could be used to ensure access to instrumental opportunities for youngsters across the EU, but sadly I doubt that will be the case.

I think that this is a very sensible and well balanced post.

Other artistic and cultural institutions throughout Europe (including the UK) have had funding withdrawn from artistic and other cultural organisations - including Museums, Libraries, Heritage sites and much other "low priority" activities.

As oddoneout says, "40 years is a pretty good innings, especially considering how things have changed."

If we are concerned about the situation regarding the youth of Great Britain and Europe, I personally would consider that children in Europe and England deprived of their parents by the mishandling of immigration procedures are a far greater priority than a relatively small number of young musicians in this country and elsewhere throughout the continent of Europe.

I remember the slogan of the fascists in the 1930s - "...guns before butter!"

My new version would be "...families before fiddles!" - and I don't just mean violins.

HS

[french frank]

a relatively small number of wanna-be musicians in this country and elsewhere

I respect your right to hold your view but I find that dismissive phrase 'wanna-be musicians' astonishing from a professional musician!

[Hornspieler]

I respect your right to hold your view but I find that dismissive phrase 'wanna-be musicians' astonishing from a professional musician!

Quite right, FF. A little over the top. I have edited my post #36 to change the offending words to "young musicians" - although a lot of them appear to have outgrown their youth, somehow.

HS

[french frank]

[verismissimo]

EUYO is the finest youth orchestra that I ever heard. And the only really valuable cultural flowering of the EU! Its founder Claudio Abbado would be horrified and dismayed by the current situation.

To show support, follow the suggestions at:http://www.euyo.eu/about/saveeuyo/

And sign the online petition:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/Martin_Schulz_European_Parliament_president_and_honorary_president_of_EUYO_Save_the_EUYO/?aaDcLbb

[MrGongGong]

. And the only really valuable cultural flowering of the EU!

Nonsense
There are many other wonderful things that have been facilitated by EU funding

The orchestra ain't a bad idea either.

[Richard Barrett]

The issue here is really the ubiquitous neoliberal strategy to reduce funding for arts and culture with more or less arbitrary criteria drawn up in order necessarily to exclude a certain proportion of applicants. This is true of the EU as a whole, of most of its member countries, of Australia (whose arts sector just experienced yet another bloodbath at the hands of the federal government), of other regions as well no doubt, and has been gaining ground for decades. Grant application skills have become more important than any artistic ones. If a campaign to keep the EUYO open is successful without changing such core policies, all that will happen is that this particular bit of unfairness will get shifted onto someone else's shoulders. Meanwhile of course the rich get richer. Imagine what could be done with all those revenues that presently get siphoned off into tax havens with the connivance of governments. At the risk of seeming unduly repetitious, the problem here is capitalism, which is fundamentally incompatible with the idea that culture should be for everyone and not just a wealthy elite.

[MrGongGong]

The issue here is really the ubiquitous neoliberal strategy to reduce funding for arts and culture with more or less arbitrary criteria drawn up in order necessarily to exclude a certain proportion of applicants. This is true of the EU as a whole, of most of its member countries, of Australia (whose arts sector just experienced yet another bloodbath at the hands of the federal government), of other regions as well no doubt, and has been gaining ground for decades. Grant application skills have become more important than any artistic ones. If a campaign to keep the EUYO open is successful without changing such core policies, all that will happen is that this particular bit of unfairness will get shifted onto someone else's shoulders. Meanwhile of course the rich get richer. Imagine what could be done with all those revenues that presently get siphoned off into tax havens with the connivance of governments. At the risk of seeming unduly repetitious, the problem here is capitalism, which is fundamentally incompatible with the idea that culture should be for everyone and not just a wealthy elite.

You are right in many ways Richard
but (and I wouldn't suggest that it's a simple binary issue) there are many things that have been facilitated by EU funding in spite of the "ubiquitous neoliberal strategy"....
For example, i've worked on several things that wouldn't be described as for a "wealthy elite"... (this for example http://www.looveesti.ee/the-fragile-...um-in-tallinn/)......

Some organisations (SAM in the UK ) are trying to actively address the issues you describe.

[Richard Barrett]

I think you have misunderstood me completely. I am not claiming that EU arts funding is intended for the wealthy elite. Quite the opposite. I am claiming that the wealthy elite is generally opposed to generosity in arts funding on the grounds that everything should ideally "pay for itself" (apart from landlords, for example, who apparently need to be heavily subsidised). I am very aware of what SAM are doing, but they are doing it against a background of subsidised cultural activity being regarded by government as something to be phased out while nobody's looking.

[MrGongGong]

I think you have misunderstood me completely. I am not claiming that EU arts funding is intended for the wealthy elite. Quite the opposite. I am claiming that the wealthy elite is generally opposed to generosity in arts funding on the grounds that everything should ideally "pay for itself" (apart from landlords, for example, who apparently need to be heavily subsidised). I am very aware of what SAM are doing, but they are doing it against a background of subsidised cultural activity being regarded by government as something to be phased out while nobody's looking.

Apologies for misunderstanding

BUT I do think it's important to counter the idea that somehow we don't benefit form EU cultural programmes