Dutch music culture takes a major hit

Comments

1. Abbie Betinis says

   October 28, 2010 at 4:29 pm

   Thank you, Philip, for drawing our attention to this news.  I wrote to my friends at the Valborg Choir (Valborgkoor) in The Netherlands to ask about it.  This is a chorus who is championing new music especially, and bringing in international composers to their rehearsals and performances.  I was privileged to be part of their programming a few years ago, and was able to visit and workshop with them due to grants from both American and Dutch organizations.  This year they brought in composer Edie Hill for a similar project.  They are nervous now that these wonderful opportunities to bring in international choral composers will be impossible.  Not to mention all the changes that you accurately described above.

    

   Here’s what they wrote back to me:

   Abbie,

   Unfortunately: THIS IS TRUE!!!

   
   The following is a summary from the journal of the royal dutch musicians company (Koninklijke nederlandse toonkunstenaars vereniging, vol.13, nr 69, October 2010).

    

   —
   What many have feared is probably becoming true. It is not yet a decision, but the new Dutch cabinet has the strong intention to save money from the area of arts. They consider arts as economically irrelevant.

    

   Altogether 200 Million Euros will be subtracted from arts and culture, and the same amount from the public broadcasting organisations.

   
   The music centre of the radio and television broadcast will be scrapped completely. This has been proposed without any argument or discussion about a renewal of the public broadcasts and the functions or spreading of the arts in our country.

   
   This measure concerns the (i) Metropole orchestra, (ii) Radio Philhamonic orchestra, (iii) the Radio Chamber Philharmonia, (iv) the Netherlands Radio Choir, and (v) the the complete music library of the cooperation of all broadcast organisations!

   
   The tax rate for music payments increases from 6% to 19% (including tickets for concerts, ballet, drama, etc etc etc).

   —

   Much opposition is growing. Demonstrations are planned (November 2010, organised by almost all cultural institutions of the Netherlands).

    

   Although the effect of 200 million euro for the arts sector is dramatic for the creative sector, not to mention even on the long term, it means almost nothing on the scale of the total operation for saving money of 18 billion. The financial gain is minimal, while the effect is huge. On the other hand a large number (I have forgotten the number) of F16 fighting airplanes will be ordered!!!

   If you feel that you want to support us, a petition for stopping this cultural demolition can be signed at http://www.stopculturelekaalslag.nl but it is only in dutch.

   I hope that you understand that many people in the Netherlands are becoming desperate.  Many people here are extremely worried about the things that are to come.

    

   Love,

   Niels

    

   Let the Netherlands’ new cabinet know that their actions have devastating national — and international — repercussions to the arts!  You can sign the petition in two places: 

    

   http://www.mco.nl/mco_page/actie/eng/

   and

   http://petities.nl/petitie/stop-culturele-kaalslag

    

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