Elisabeth Fuchs: my view

I always take criticism seriously. I am also always open to constructive discussions.

I am very proud of the orchestral musicians and choral singers of the Philharmonie Salzburg and of how connected we make music, how touching the shared musical moments are and how these are also celebrated by the audience with standing ovations.

The current reporting in the Salzburger Nachrichten unfortunately leads to a false image of the Philharmonie Salzburg and of me as its founder and chief conductor. For this reason, I would like to present the points raised from my point of view:

1. as a matter of principle, I take CRITICISM seriously. In addition, I am always open to constructive discussions and am really strict with myself in all areas that affect me as a conductor and music manager, but also as a person and mother. I take mistakes as an opportunity to develop myself further. For years, my work has been accompanied by coaching and supervision sessions, critical exchanges with friends, companions and my family. Music will never work without the entire spectrum of emotions. The term "concert" comes from "interaction" and "competition". For me, music is always one and the other at the same time: Consonance & counter-consonance. Harmony & counterpoint, unanimity & friction, ebb & flow.

2. FAIR PAY/HONORARIUM RECOMMENDATIONS
The important topic of fair pay/recommended fees for freelance musicians has been on our agenda for years. In this regard, we are in very good contact with our funding bodies, the City and Province of Salzburg. Constructive discussions with politicians and civil servants, as well as with almost all of Salzburg's media, have always been more important to me than media battles. The latter may put pressure on us, but they create a poor basis for communication - I'm not in favor of that.

I also strongly oppose the distorted portrayal in the aforementioned daily newspaper and will not allow myself to be denounced for general conditions that also apply to other creative artists in the independent scene. I will also not allow myself to be harnessed to the cart of interest groups. The Philharmonie Salzburg is one of the biggest players in the independent Salzburg scene with almost 100 musicians, a voluntary choir of 200 enthusiastic singers, over 100 orchestral performances, over 70 chamber music performances and a very committed program. All of this is only possible because our orchestra is driven by the enthusiasm and professional music-making of its members, which is reflected in our performances. It is therefore easy to look at us from the outside and ignore the many other players in the independent scene. It goes without saying that we strive to pay our orchestra musicians as well as possible.

Status of Fair Pay results from discussions over the last 5 years: In 2021-2024, all employees in the cultural sector in the state of Salzburg were downgraded to almost Fair Pay by the state/city. There were many subsidies from the state and city of Salzburg for this - but not for the Philharmonie, as our salaried employees were already paid almost at Fair Pay level at that time. From 2025, the second phase of the funding bodies is ready to start with regard to the increases to fair pay: in addition to the employees, the freelancers ' fees are now to be increased in a phased plan , financed by additional subsidies from the City and Province of Salzburg. In fact, as of 2023 (6.9% subsidies for the Philharmonie Salzburg), we cannot yet finance Fair Pay - contrary to what the reporting in the SN suggests. For full Fair Pay in 2025, we would need almost € 1.5 million more in subsidies. Moreover, we have not yet been able to verify the statements made by the decision-makers. We are in good contact with the city and state of Salzburg, who are aware that Fair Pay requires a significant increase in subsidies*.

3. REHEARSAL ROOM
The past few years have been characterized by the effort to finally create better rehearsal conditions for the orchestra. In the 2023/24 season, we achieved this goal with the support of the City and Province of Salzburg - a milestone in the history of the Philharmonie. The rehearsal room at Nonntaler Hauptstraße 39 c will significantly improve the working conditions for our musicians, so I would like to take this opportunity to once again express my sincere thanks to the donors! My thanks also go to all donors: The grand piano for the rehearsal room (Bechstein brand) can be financed thanks to your donations. Thank you very much for that!
The building will not belong to the Philharmonie, but to the City of Salzburg (purchased with the support of the state) and will be rented to the Philharmonie Salzburg in the future. The orchestra (up to 90 people) as well as the Philharmonie choir (up to 200 people) and the Children's & Youth Philharmonic Orchestra (up to 80 kids & teens) are expected to rehearse in it from winter 2024/25. The financing journey for the equipment of the rehearsal room, which we have to raise ourselves, continues and we will continue to count on you in the future: Please continue to support us, despite bad gossip. You can find more information about the rehearsal room equipment/donation collection here: https://www.philharmoniesalzburg.at/probehaus-spenden/

Salzburg is a city where music is very important. I have enjoyed living and working in this city for 25 years. I myself and my dedicated orchestra members as well as the team of the Philharmonie Salzburg are doing an extraordinary amount of work to create a concert program that is both accessible and innovative. Over the past few days, I have received countless expressions of solidarity from musicians, singers and also from our audience. This and the power of music strengthen me.

Thank you for accompanying us on our courageous journey for many years!

My team and I are happy to answer any questions or suggestions you may have:

Yours, Elisabeth Fuchs

* More figures: In 2023, the Philharmonie Salzburg (excluding the Children's Festival) had a total turnover of € 2.55 million with 6.9% subsidies. These subsidies consisted of € 96,100 from the City of Salzburg (= 3.77% of the total budget) and € 81,000 from the Province of Salzburg (= 3.18% of the total budget). For 2024, the City of Salzburg has pledged € 128,300 to the Philharmonie Salzburg (that is 5% with the same turnover as 2023 and would be 4.5% with estimated inflation of the total budget). From the city's point of view, this is a big jump of 33% more subsidy than in 2023 for the Philharmonie + the opportunity to rent the new rehearsal room - thank you very much for that! Nevertheless, this cannot be used to pay fair pay for freelancers. We had applied for €181,000 for a fair-pay approach.
We have not yet received any information from the state's Department of Culture about the amount of funding for the current year 2024.