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Friday, May 16, 2003

By Caroline Abels, Post-Gazette Cultural Arts Writer

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has abandoned its plan to tour Europe next year, citing a potential financial loss and an inability to secure tour sponsorships well enough in advance.

The cancellation, which is not unusual among major symphony orchestras this season, has some musicians concerned about their organization's ability to recruit top talent and act as a marketing tool for the Pittsburgh region.

"The group is disappointed, especially coming off such a successful tour in April," said Zachary Smith, a horn player and spokesman for the musicians during the current contract negotiations.

He called the cancellation "premature."

"There's so much time between now and August 2004," he said, noting that the economy could improve by next summer and that a new symphony managing director will likely be in place -- factors that could help secure sponsors.

According to PSO board president Thomas Todd, who told the Post-Gazette last month that the tour might fall through, presenters in Europe wanted the symphony to commit to specific 2004 concert dates by April 29.

But the orchestra was not able to secure any sponsors by that day, so the executive committee called off the tour because "we had nothing in hand and no idea when we might, and we had to make a decision," Todd said.

It is not unusual for orchestras to commit to tour dates without a sponsorship commitment in place, said Joe Beiro, a former PSO orchestra manager who planned tours for the organization.

"Fifteen months out, it is rare for a sponsorship to be named, even in good economic times," he said.

A spokesman for Mellon Financial Corp., the sponsor of last month's European tour, said Mellon wouldn't make a sponsorship decision until later this year, at the earliest.

"Our sponsorships usually aren't finalized until our budgets are completed, late in the fourth quarter or early in the first quarter," Ron Gruendl said.

Even with a $250,000 sponsorship in place -- the amount of Mellon's sponsorship -- the symphony would lose money because the price tag of the 2004 tour was $400,000, Todd said.

With a structural deficit of more than $2 million, the symphony would not have been prudent to allow the loss, Todd said, noting that for many years the board has required tours to at least break even.

Last fall, the New York Philharmonic canceled this year's October European tour and its March 2004 West Coast tour, in large part due to higher touring costs and lower performance fees.

This week, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra canceled a late May appearance in St. Petersburg, Russia, because of "logistical and financial reasons," according to the Web site MusicalAmerica.com.