Eun Sun Kim
Music Director of San Francisco Opera
Good news is something we can all use: today, San Francisco Opera announced that Eun Sun Kim's contract has been renewed for another five years, extending her tenure here to the end of the 2030-31 season. She'll continue the Verdi-Wagner pattern, she'll lead a Ring des Nibelungen in a few years, and, in welcome news, Parsifal returns next season. The press release describes this as "brand new" but does not say whether it's an SFO-only production or a co-production with another company.
- Lisa Hirsch, SF Chronicle
- Janos Gereben, SFCV (TK)
- SF Opera press release
But then there's the bad news, coming from the SF Opera Orchestra. The link is to a Facebook post that reads as follows:
It was announced today that Music Director Eun Sun Kim’s contract has been extended through 2031 and the Orchestra is very pleased that she will continue in her role for the foreseeable future. However, we remain deeply concerned that the Opera appears unwilling to invest in the musicians who bring Maestro Kim’s vision to life.
Our negotiations with Opera Management have continued over recent weeks, but their proposals to date are unacceptable. Not only does management’s lone offer for a contract beyond this season cut the Orchestra’s working conditions, benefits, and pay relative to inflation, it also drastically reduces the number of musicians in our complement. This comes at a time when our Orchestra already has over a dozen vacant positions that Management has held open since the pandemic. At the same time, the Opera’s administrative spending continues to rise.
This should concern everyone who loves the Opera and wants it to succeed. If management is unwilling to invest in the music and provide a fair contract to the Orchestra, the Company will be unable to attract and retain top talent and to grow ticket sales and revenue. Most importantly, management’s unacceptable proposal reflects their lack of vision and inability to chart a sustainable path forward for the Opera.
The Opera must agree to a fair contract for the Orchestra, not only for the security of its musicians, but to remain competitive and retain the talent required to produce Maestro Kim’s world-class performances for our beloved audiences to enjoy.
That is what we are fighting for, and we appreciate your ongoing support!
Sincerely, San Francisco Opera Orchestra
Interesting phrasing, because "sustainability" is a word you hear from time to time from Matthew Shilvock, general director of SFO, and, across the street, Matthew Spivey, the CEO of SFS. The two orchestra-management face-offs feel weirdly similar, with management claiming they just can't pay, while 1) both of the management heads have gotten raises 2) both organizations have endowments worth more than $300 million (how that money is handled is somewhat opaque to me) 3) both have donor bases that have (mostly) been able to make up deficits. I will, in fairness, note that during the centennial season, SFO sustained a $13 million loss, as reflected on its most recent 990.
11 comments:
Endowment spending is legally restricted in California. There's a decent summary here: https://www.churchlawcenter.com/nonprofit/what-nonprofits-need-to-know-about-endowment-restrictions/
For a cautionary tale of the perils of excessive endowment spending (and plenty of other bad practices in nonprofit management), see "Mad Scenes and Exit Arias" about New York City Opera by Heidi Waleson.
Thank you, I will take a look. I think that there is little risk of either SFS or SFO draining their endowment. NYCO had terrible management that made all sorts unforced errors.
I should mention that someone I'm in touch with thinks that SFS has been putting funds donated without restrictions into the restricted endowment, limiting their availability for operating expenses and making it easier for the orchestra to claim that they don't have enough money. I have not yet been able to verify whether this is the case or not.
The Waleson book was recommended to me when I became a new board member as a negative example, and Joan Garry's Guide to Nonprofit Leadership as a positive example.
I am doing some work to try to determine whether this is correct or not. I also don't know whether this is a standard thing to do - putting unrestricted donations into the endowment. For all I know, half the large-budget orchestras in the U.S. do it.
Of interest to me also is the "internal accounting" that SFS is using to say that they have gigantic operating deficits that aren't reflected in their audited financial statements.
Whoops, meant to say that sounds like an exceedingly unlikely conspiracy theory - unless your source is on the SFS board or administration - but you never know.
LOL, see my response above.
Also remember that currently available 990s are a few years old and don't reflect the effect of the pandemic assistance cutoff.
To clarify, it would make sense for bequests (e.g. the SFS Pierre Monteux Society), but not a heck of a lot for annual fund gifts, and not for the purpose of crying poor.
The most recent available 990s are for FY 2023, looks like. The last from SF Opera shows a $13 million on a budget of $95 million, which looks extremely plausible for the expensive centennial season of 2022-23.
When did the pandemic assistance end? Would the financial effects be better reflected on the audited financials than the 990s?
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