Wilmingtonic's preface: The recent news about the venerable Philadelphia Orchestra having to file for bankruptcy is heart-breaking. The orchestra was a big part of my childhood. My mother started taking me to the orchestra when Eugene Ormandy was still conducting, and we went frequently, sometimes every other week, up through my late teens. I took music lessons with a few members of the orchestra (mostly Joseph Lanza Sr. and later with Joseph DePasquale), and a good number of the lessons happened backstage at the Academy of Music. My sister and I once nearly knocked Itzhak Perlman off of his crutches as we, late to our lessons, rushed up to the door of the green room just as he was coming through it after a rehearsal. I've only seen the orchestra a handful of times as an adult, but I never imagined there could come a time when the orchestra simply isn't there, any more than I could have imagined a Philadelphia without a liberty bell.
The orchestra's plan is to stay operational, but if they don't get some funding over the next year, that could change. Read the letter from the player's association here:
http://www.philorchtoday.org/a-message-to-our-patrons/
The most important part is this:
"We ask you to stand with us now and show your support for The Philadelphia Orchestra. One of the best ways you can support this cultural icon is by attending concerts. Buy tickets for our remaining performances and consider a subscription for our exciting 2011-12 season. We appreciate that there might be concern for our future and as such, we are placing all revenues for the 2011-12 season in escrow until the concerts occur."
Honestly, this brings tears to my eyes. The Lanzas and the DePasquales must feel sick.
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