BACKClassical musicians plead for support as cancelled concerts blight income
Musicians and performing groups face a bleak future as the coronavirus shutdown has meant earnings evaporated overnight. Will the industry ever recover?
It’s not called the gig economy by accident. Musicians are among those hardest hit by the cultural shutdown, and with the government currently offering only universal credit for the self-employed, millions throughout the sector are facing huge financial hardship.
“Roughly 90% of our members are affected,” said Horace Trubridge, general secretary of the Musicians’ Union. “This will force musicians out of the profession. Our members also do a lot of event work – weddings and conferences – that has also fallen off a cliff, coupled with the fact that most of our members subsidise their income from live performance by teaching and studio recording work which of course they can’t do now either.”
The idea that universal credit is going to keep these people’s heads above water is a nonsense, says Trubridge. The Association of British Orchestras’ director Mark Pemberton is among those joining the MU in calling on the government to act to save Britain’s cultural industry.
MusikerNothilfe-Spendenkonto der Deutschen Orchester-Stiftung sammelte bereits über 420.000 Euro
Kulturstaatsministerin Monika Grütters und Kiril Petrenko, Chefdirigent der Berliner Philharmoniker und GMD der Bayerischen Staatsoper München, haben heute gemeinsam die Schirmherrschaft für die Spendenkampagne der Deutschen Orchester-Stiftung übernommen. Die seit dem 16. März laufende Kampagne (#MusikerNothilfe) zugunsten freischaffender BerufsmusikerInnen hat nach zehn Tagen über 420.000 Euro gesammelt.
Gerald Mertens, Kuratoriumsvorsitzender der Stiftung, freut sich: „Die Übernahme der Schirmherrschaft durch Frau Grütters und Herrn Petrenko ist ein starkes Signal für die gesamte Musikszene und hoffentlich eine Ermunterung für weitere Spenderinnen und Spender. Uns liegen über 2000 Hilfsanträge von freischaffenden Musikerinnen und Musikern vor. Sie sind wegen der Konzertabsagen und Wegfall aller Einnahmequellen in blanker Existenznot. Wir streben daher ein Spendenziel von mindestens 1 Million Euro an.”
MusikerNothilfe donation account of the German Orchestra Foundation has already collected over 420,000 euros
Minister of State for Culture Monika Grütters and Kiril Petrenko, Chief Conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and GMD of the Bavarian State Opera Munich, today jointly assumed the patronage of the German Orchestra Foundation’s fundraising campaign. The campaign (#MusikerNothilfe) for the benefit of freelance professional musicians, which has been running since 16 March, has collected over 420,000 euros after ten days.
Gerald Mertens, Chairman of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, is pleased: “The assumption of patronage by Mrs. Grütters and Mr. Petrenko is a strong signal for the entire music scene and hopefully an encouragement for further donors. We have received over 2000 requests for assistance from freelance musicians. They are in sheer existential distress due to concert cancellations and the loss of all sources of income. We are therefore striving for a donation goal of at least 1 million euros.”
Hirson : le pianiste Kit Armstrong propose une série d’œuvres sur Youtube
Continuer à partager son amour pour la musique. Telle est l’ambition du célèbre pianiste, Kit Armstrong, malgré les règles de confinement en vigueur depuis plus d’une semaine en France. Pour l’artiste, propriétaire de l’église Sainte-Thérèse d’Hirson depuis 2013, qui voyage près de 300 jours par an, ce soudain retour à la maison est vécu avec sérénité. « C’est une période difficile pour tout le monde en ce moment. Avec un peu de temps, on va finir par tout comprendre sur le virus. En attendant, je suis rentré chez moi à Hirson et m’isole pour protéger les Hirsonnais », confie Kit Armstrong d’une voix posée. Son idée : proposer un répertoire différent de celui joué habituellement pendant les concerts. Il a ainsi imaginé une série d’œuvres musicales, intitulée « musique, ma patrie ».
Hirson: Pianist Kit Armstrong offers a series of works on Youtube
Continue to share his love for music. Such is the ambition of the famous pianist, Kit Armstrong, despite the confinement rules that have been in force for more than a week in France. For the artist, owner of the Sainte-Thérèse d’Hirson church since 2013, who travels nearly 300 days a year, this sudden return home is lived with serenity. “It’s a difficult time for everyone at the moment. With a little time, we’ll finally understand everything about the virus. In the meantime, I’ve gone home to Hirson and isolated myself to protect the people of Hirson,” says Kit Armstrong in a calm voice. His idea: to offer a different repertoire from the one usually played during concerts. He has come up with a series of musical works entitled “Music, my homeland”.