A small orchestra gift from neighbour Getty
NewsThe Berkeley Symphony today received a ‘transformative’ $1.5 million gift from Gordon Getty.
“We are profoundly grateful to Gordon Getty for his extremely generous gift and for his unwavering support and friendship to Berkeley Symphony,” says René Mandel, Artistic Director of Berkeley Symphony. “Berkeley Symphony is a champion of music from all eras, and has been a trendsetter of new works by living composers since its inception. This gift enables us to continue this tradition through diverse programming and the growth of our educational programs. Our entire community deeply appreciates Gordon Getty’s largesse and we cannot thank him enough.”
It’s all relative, of course.
The oil magnate has previously given $15m to the University of San Francisco and $150 million from a Sotheby’s sale to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Symphony, Berkeley Geochronology Center and The Leakey Foundation.
Looks like giving in factors of 10.
How dare they! Getty got his money from….climate changing oil production! It’s dirty money, isn’t it? (Full disclosure: I worked for Getty Oil for a few years after college.)
He’s a really nice man too. I once played in the orchestra for the premiere of one of the acts from his opera, “Plump Jack. He composed two tuba parts, which was generous of him. As many of you may know, the Berkeley Symphony is where Kent Nagano cut his teeth. I saw him give terrific performances of the Ives 4th symphony, as well as Messiaen’s iconic “Turangalila”. Good times.
If I were associated with the Berkeley Symphony, I’d take issue with Slipped Disc’s description of a $1.5 mil. gift as “small,” whatever the size of Gordon Getty’s other donations to the arts. A billionaire’s rounding error may be a lifeline to the recipient.
Meanwhile, the yearly budget of the LA Phil is $190 million. It’s the one-percenter mindset of the US cultural system.
A few elite institutions serve as posh cultural country clubs for the wealthy while smaller arts organizations are largely neglected. California has 3 full time orchestras. If it had the same number per capita as Germany it would have at least 50. Nothing is going to change because Americans aren’t given a choice.
Any time California wants to have 50 full-time orchestras, the state is free to set them up and fund them. Nothing is stopping them.
Still a shock for me to see Germany upheld as a cultural bastion considering the cultural destruction they were responsible for less than 100 years ago. But sure, I’m positive it is a great place to enjoy a symphony.
California has 7 full-time orchestras. 8, if you count if the LACO.
5 if you count the SF ballet and opera orchestras. Both are salaried, ICSOM groups.
Not mentioned in the introduction has been his major series of gifts to the LA Opera. He was also instrumental in funding the founding of the Russian National Orchestra, the first non-state subsidized orchestra as the old Soviet Union was collapsing more than 30 years ago, and continuing that annually for many years. I believe virtually all the funding for that orchestra came from non-Russian sources.
“Looks like giving in factors of 10.”
ATMs in CA only give out cash in factors of 10
Curious as to why the Berkeley Symphony has both a music director and an “artistic director.” Can anyone shed light on this somewhat unusual arrangement? (Can’t think of another US orchestra which has this.)
If only US kids were taught music in school instead of useless social topics.