Unorthodox Fundraising to Save Colorado Symphony

In an effort to pull the Colorado Symphony Orchestra out of its financial woes, a fundraising campaign by Colorado Public Radio will benefit the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. The campaign, which had to be authorized by the FCC and will feature a live broadcast performance by Yo-Yo Ma, is the first time a broadcast company has been authorized to run a campaign for an outside organization since 1993. CPR is attempting to protect the orchestra's musicians, who in September accepted a 12.5% pay cut, four weeks of unpaid furloughs, and suspension of employer contributions to pension funds to avoid a deficit. 

With so many arts organizations in financial peril, there is one question that becomes a sort of "Tug O' War": whose responsibility is it to protect these organizations anyway? The public thinks the organization should be self-sufficient, the musicians think the administration should protect them, the administration thinks the public should pay for the art it desires. And while certainly the CPR campaign is welcome, it is extremely unorthodox. 

A logical person would probably say that an organization should be protected by some combination of these options....and finally, in Colorado at least, it looks some part of that is happening.  

--Chelsie