Jakobstads Sinfonietta deserves fair treatment

Swedish version: www.adressit.com/ge_jakobstads_sinfonietta_en_rejal_chans

Finnish version: www.adressit.com/pietarsaaren_sinfoniettalle_reilut_mahdollisuudet



Jakobstads Sinfonietta deserves an evaluation based on facts and an open and fair process


We demand that the City Council of Jakobstad treats the continuation of the project Jakobstads Sinfonietta fairly by evaluating facts objectively, by addressing real needs and by giving Jakobstads Sinfonietta the opportunity to participate in discussions regarding future solutions for the cultural policy of the city and the region.


Motivation

Jakobstads Sinfonietta is a project running 1.8.2009-31.7.2012. The ensemble consists of 9 part time professional musicians, one artistic director, one full time manager and one part time orchestra producer. At the inception of the project, the aim of the City of Jakobstad was to provide students at the conservatoire and music academy in Jakobstad high level professional training by employing a professional ensemble. At the same time, Jakobstads Sinfonietta enriches the cultural scene of the city, the region Ostrobothnia and Swedish speaking Finland.

Mistakes at the start of the project resulted in severe financial problems. Mismanagement during the early stages of the project resulted in operational problems. The success of the 2011-2012 season prove that these problems can be corrected. With part time musicians, the Sinfonietta has produced around 40 events in 2011 on the same budget that was used to produce around 20 events in 2010. A new concert hall is being built next to the town hall, at the market square in the middle of the city. Jakobstads Sinfonietta’s popular concert series (already 138 subscriptions) is set to be the core and the flagship content of the public classical music offering in the concert hall. The musicians successfully cooperate with internationally acclaimed conductors and soloists. The degree of participation of students in the projects has risen from 10% (2010) to 65% (spring 2012). While the number of kindergarten and school concerts has tripled, the demand is still much bigger than the number of productions the orchestra can produce. Several classical music organisations in Ostrobothnia and Swedish speaking Finland are enriched by cooperation with the Sinfonietta. And least but not last: The personnel of Jakobstads Sinfonietta is willing to seek creative solutions to the financial challenges.

At the moment, a small number of local politicians are – without proper understanding of the dynamics of the operations, without a will to face facts and without a democratic process – working to distribute the budget of Jakobstads Sinfonietta to other purposes. We demand that the City Council of Jakobstad immediately halts this process and appoints a working group with which Jakobstads Sinfonietta can pursue a creative and constructive dialogue about the future based on facts.