Eccles grant brightens outlook for Utah Symphony

The Utah Symphony|Utah Opera received a welcome Christmas gift about two weeks ago when the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation presented it with a check for $500,000.

That's the first installment of a $1 million grant from the foundation, and it caps off a year that's been both financially challenging and artistically rewarding.

As with most American performing arts organizations during the current economic recession, USUO has been struggling. Corporate and individual donations are substantially down, and the company has been having to streamline its operations.

The Eccles Foundation decided on giving the money to USUO when it heard about the concessions the musicians of the Utah Symphony made to help the organization.

Last October, the musicians agreed to give up a scheduled pay raise and agreed to substantial cuts in salary and benefits as well as to donate a number of services, all of which amounted to $1.3 million.

Contrary to what some people thought when they read about it, the musicians didn't pass a hat around in the musician's lounge in Abravanel Hall one day after rehearsal and then present symphony management with a check for that amount.

It represents a percentage of salary and benefits they won't be receiving during the 2009-10 season. The players agreed to this with the stipulation that USUO management match that amount in further donations by the end of the current season. If not, then the musicians get it back. The Eccles grant will go a long way toward meeting that challenge.

Artistically, things looked a lot brighter for USUO in 2009. With the announcement last September of Thierry Fischer as the symphony's new music director, the orchestra is poised to regain the luster and musical integrity it had lost in the past 11 seasons under former music director Keith Lockhart.

Fischer brings with him vast experience and talent as well as a keen knowledge of the symphonic repertoire that hopefully will translate into more varied and stimulating programming than concertgoers have been exposed to in the past.

He will unveil the 2010-11 season when he returns to Salt Lake City to conduct the orchestra in late January. It'll be interesting to see what he has in store for audiences in the new season.

And as the Utah Symphony's music director, he hopefully will be able to lure guest conductors and soloists to Abravanel Hall who haven't been here before.