The financial distress of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra has been ascribed to many factors (“Many American orchestras have emerged stronger from lockouts and strikes; the BSO can too,” June 17).
Take two off the table: declining corporate sponsorship and state funding. True, Baltimore has seen a decline in corporate headquarters in the last 20 years. Yet pension funds and individual stockholders have been enriched by increasing dividends and stock values generated by those departures to more tax-friendly states. By any standard, we have a rich population to support the symphony orchestra.
The second claim is that the state and current governor do not give enough money to the symphony orchestra. We are frequently reminded that cities in the EU have open checkbooks for operas, ballets, and symphonies. A closer look would reveal that Maryland generously supports the arts through many programs in its colleges and universities, and tax deductions for charitable contributions.Not so in the EU. Also rare in the EU is the creative funding Maryland provides for technology and life science startups to grow in Maryland. By the way, there is a payback provision with these technology funds. As new companies make money, they pay back it back to the state.
Maryland funding comes from the taxpayers. We can leave it to the governor to decide how to spend tax dollars. We have a ballot box to check that option.
Michael Guarnieri
