Symphony cancels concerts and will downsize - Hawaii News

The Honolulu Symphony Society scrubbed its 2009 concert schedule and intends to downsize the 64-musician orchestra as it files for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy next week.

[SURFER DUDE HONOLULU]

The symphony made most of it's bucks from rich patrons of the arts and not ticket sales. Times are tough everywhere and even affluent people are re-prioritizing their finances.
I am glad these people had a union. Sure did them a lot of good. I always find it interesting when these chapter 7,11,13 deals go down. The lawyers still make their money and the symphony has played their last note.
Unfortunately culture does not put bread on the table.
There was a lot of corruption with the symphony in the past. Hope they can re-brand themselves and come back without a union who did them no good at all.

[enufalready]

More money for military bands than for the entire National Endowment for the Arts ... that's a fine show of priorities.

[Richard]

It is said if a city doesn't have a symphony then it is not a Big City. Bull. If a symphony doesn't get 100 percent of its operating capital from ticket sales then it is just a failed business and should fold. Symphonys are just play toys for the rich. Honolulu will do fine with or without a symphony. The rich will just have to find another place where they can dress up in their finest and go to show off how rich they are. If symphonys were so great they would be packed to the rafters with both the rich and the average folk.

[Okay]

enufalready wrote:

More money for military bands than for the entire National Endowment for the Arts ... that's a fine show of priorities.

Good. Military bands and the Royal Hawaiian band are more exciting and sound better. I hate string instruments. They require less skill and stamina.

[nope]

Richard wrote:

It is said if a city doesn't have a symphony then it is not a Big City. Bull. If a symphony doesn't get 100 percent of its operating capital from ticket sales then it is just a failed business and should fold. Symphonys are just play toys for the rich. Honolulu will do fine with or without a symphony. The rich will just have to find another place where they can dress up in their finest and go to show off how rich they are. If symphonys were so great they would be packed to the rafters with both the rich and the average folk.

you are quite wrong on this Richard --- college football teams are actually the play toys for the rich

a symphony is a source of inspiration for young people who are trying to develop their talents and be cultured and civilized

maybe you and possibly alice are in denial, but it is european culture and history that is the richest and has contributed the most to our modern life

the rasta life simply does not provide enough depth to hold this world together, but it is the culture and traditions of the european elite that bests develop young minds and holds our civilization together

[LMAO]

Richard wrote:

It is said if a city doesn't have a symphony then it is not a Big City. Bull. If a symphony doesn't get 100 percent of its operating capital from ticket sales then it is just a failed business and should fold. Symphonys are just play toys for the rich. Honolulu will do fine with or without a symphony. The rich will just have to find another place where they can dress up in their finest and go to show off how rich they are. If symphonys were so great they would be packed to the rafters with both the rich and the average folk.

Does Honolulu need or deserve a symphony? Heck no, theres not even a real tradition this symphony caters too, however your statement is ridiculously moronic.

True symphonies cater to the communities, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Boston, New York and London. The crown jewel event of all of these is the Proms in England, and they are far from catering to the rich and far from showing off their "finest", Honolulu has no such traditions.

[LMAO]

Okay wrote:

<quoted text>
Good. Military bands and the Royal Hawaiian band are more exciting and sound better. I hate string instruments. They require less skill and stamina.

Yeah... because a symphony is just a string section... wait, no it's not.

[noend]

"WE CANT SPEND MONEY THAT WE DONT HAVE"..........you are 100% CORRECT...closing would have no effect on our community..but we WOULD be SAVING SOME MONEY.....now, that is very important

[Big John-Hawaii Kai]

Let's see, hum, with the economy still tanking, do I layoff 10-15 employees who have families with the associated expenses OR, do I send a big check to the symphony? What would you answer be?

[ropadope]

no symphathey from the ainokea gang

[Pops]

The symphony is a waste of time and money. ALOHA

[lose money]

well good music can be heard on KTUH...

[Another Time]

I wish the musicians well, but symphonies are a relic of another time.

[McCain]

Ain't got no money honey. See ya.

[Common Sense]

enufalready wrote:

More money for military bands than for the entire National Endowment for the Arts ... that's a fine show of priorities.

Its quite simple the down fall of the symphony shows what a third world backwater place Honolulu is. When the favorite destination of the majority of the population is Las Vegas how can a symphony survive? The majority of residents in Honolulu lack any sense of culture or the arts. Another tell tale sign of the mentality of Honolulu or Hawaii for that matter is when you are in a social setting and someone asks where you went to school the expected answer is High School NOT University or College like in a social setting in the rest of the world. This and the Las Vegas thing says it all! Oh lets not forget the obsession in the islands with sports while our kids loose 17 days of school a year!

[Poi]

Richard wrote:

It is said if a city doesn't have a symphony then it is not a Big City. Bull. If a symphony doesn't get 100 percent of its operating capital from ticket sales then it is just a failed business and should fold. Symphonys are just play toys for the rich. Honolulu will do fine with or without a symphony. The rich will just have to find another place where they can dress up in their finest and go to show off how rich they are. If symphonys were so great they would be packed to the rafters with both the rich and the average folk.

Actually, the public, inlcluding the poorest, most ignorant, most simple minded, least educated LOVE SYMPHONY MUSIC.

It just depends what music.

Players and conductors love "technical" music. The classical stuff. Regular people love music that sounds nice.

That's the odd dichotomy here. The type of people who are great technical musicians just don't get it.

[haole lolo]

Aloha means get lost to the honolulu
symphony. The Iolani and Punahou
school symphony bands are better
and cheaper.

[Wordsmith]

Why is it that we hear from month to month and year to year how bad they are doing? How is it that they are constantly getting all this free press? I guess they are failing because !) they suck 2) noone care about them 3) they have done a miserable job of promotion...bottom line is that it is not my problem...or anyone elses but theirs.

[Okay]

LMAO wrote:

<quoted text>
Yeah... because a symphony is just a string section... wait, no it's not.

Get rid of the strings and form a Jazz band. More appealing. Maybe have a guest violinist from time to time.
Symphony = zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzz
The symphony is just a way for the rich to dress up and act rich.

[ALAN]

HMMM.Maybe someone like Sen Dan Inouye could give back some money taken from Hawaii..like the 2.6 million increase in assets he made3 last year?

Where are all the fat cats putting there money? Why not help the community?