Covid-19 forces Philharmonic Orchestra to reconsider business model

 

The Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) says the Covid-19 pandemic has forced it to “re-evaluate” its business model.

This comes after a British classical music tabloid alleged that the contracts of MPO players’ are set to end this year.

“We hear that the Malaysia Philharmonic Orchestra told its players today that their contracts will not be renewed beyond the end of this year.

“A few may receive new contracts in an entertainment band, but the Philharmonic as such is finished and the musicians will be unemployed after Christmas,” claimed music commentator Norman Lebrecht on classical music gossip blog, Slipped Disc, yesterday.

When contacted, the MPO released a statement responding to the allegations, stating that “persistent and unprecedented challenging market conditions” driven by the pandemic forced the MPO to “re-evaluate its business model”.

However, the statement did not mention specific measures the ensemble was taking to re-evaluate its current stance.

Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra hall.

According to the orchestra’s statement, it is evolving in accordance with its audience's needs and changing times, in order to sustain itself in the long run.

“The situation is not unique to the MPO alone, as other major orchestras around the globe have also been impacted by the pandemic and have had to take decisions and measures to re-invent or transform themselves.

“During this transitional period, the MPO continues to explore a strategic way forward to lay the foundation for the long-term sustainability of both the MPO and Petronas Philharmonic Hall,” said the MPO.

In April, the philharmonic hall reopened its doors after 13 months of hiatus caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, the return of its live performances was short-lived following the announcement of the current movement control order (MCO 3.0) in June.

Despite this, the MPO continues to entertain concert-goers virtually with its digital series 'MPO At Home' featuring musicians from the MPO and its youth orchestra performing from their homes - which it has done since the country's first lockdown last year.

“The orchestra was assembled by IMG Artists for the government's oil company in the energy boom years of the late 1990s.

“Players were auditioned in Europe and the United States and, once installed, trained Malaysians to form a future nucleus.

“The first decade’s music directors were Kees Bakels, Mathias Bamert and Claus Peter Flor,” Lebrecht said.

Funded primarily through Petronas, this move to reinvent the orchestra comes after other austerity measures were taken by the oil and gas company, such as the closure of its other creative venture, Galeri Petronas, back in May.

“Malaysia has just left the orchestral world,” Lebrecht said in his post. - Mkini