Final Draft supporting ASO

22 March 2005.

SUPPORT THE ADELAIDE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Dear MBS Subscriber,

You are probably aware of the report released last week by a committee chaired by James Strong, the former Chairman of Qantas. That report recommended that the ASO be cut from 75 to 56 players and it also recommended cuts to The Queensland Orchestra [TQO] and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra [TSO]. At the same time, the Strong Report leaves intact, the Australian Opera & Ballet Orchestra, the Sydney and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras and Orchestra Victoria.

We are writing to ask you to support the campaign against the proposed cuts to the number of players in the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra [ASO].

You can do this by writing a letter to your local politician [both State and Federal] saying that not only do you think that there should be no cuts to the ASO, but that it should be better funded than it is at present.

We at 5MBS passionately believe that Adelaide and all the smaller States need at least one major orchestra in their capital cities. The Strong Report seems to us to be another case of Eastern States triumphalism whereby Sydney and Melbourne can have two tax-payer funded orchestras whereas Adelaide can have only a reduced orchestra. And this, just after Adelaide has staged arguably the best opera series ever seen in this country with the ASO as one of the stars of the 2004 Adelaide ‘Ring’. A reduced orchestra could not play many of the standard concert works such as Mahler and Bruckner symphonies and the Beethoven Ninth.

What can you do?

Please:

• Go to more concerts and show your support for the ASO in a practical way.
• Write to your own State and Federal Members of Parliament [their names are on the back of this letter]. If you know them, please go and see them or at least telephone them and tell them of your concern.
• Write letters to newspapers expressing your displeasure if the recommendations of the Strong Report are adopted and say that the ASO funding needs to be increased.

Here are some phrases you can use in your letters:

• The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra is one of Australia’s leading performing arts companies
• The ASO is the centre for the classical performances at the Adelaide Arts Festival, world-famous for its flexibility, quality, artistry and diversity
• The ASO, more than anything else, cares about the future of Adelaide's culture and seeks to reinforce Adelaide's great national image as the cultural city of Australia.
• The adoption of the Strong Report would take the orchestra back to the strength it was in the 1950s and severely restrict the orchestra’s variety of activities and repertoire and
• would severely jeopardise the ability to deliver artistic excellence to the state of South Australia and
• would restrict the ASO’s ability to underpin a broad range of associated activities including playing for the opera, ballet and providing educational services.

If you would like more information and have access to the internet, please go to <<savetheaso.com>>. Otherwise call the ASO on 8233 6233.

Yours faithfully,

Bill Cossey

Chair: Music Broadcasting Society of SA

South Australia Senators:

Bolkus, Hon N	Kirk, L
Buckland, G	Lees, M
Chapman, G	Minchin, Hon N
Ferguson, A	Stott Despoja, N
Ferris, J	Vanstone, Hon A
Hill, Hon R	Wong, P

South Australia (fed) House of Representatives:

Downer, The Hon Alexander, Member for Mayo

Draper, Mrs Trish, Member for Makin

Ellis, Ms Kate, Member for Adelaide

Fawcett, Mr David, Member for Wakefield

Georganas, Mr Steve, Member for Hindmarsh

Pyne, The Hon Christopher, Member for Sturt

Richardson, Mr Kym, Member for Kingston

Sawford, Mr Rodney, Member for Port Adelaide

Secker, Mr Patrick, Member for Barker

Southcott, Dr Andrew, Member for Boothby

Wakelin, Mr Barry, Member for Grey

See page 355 of telephone directory for current addresses of Federal Members shown above

South Australian Government: List of Members

Name	Electorate	Name	Electorate
Hon Michael Atkinson	Croydon	Hon Peter Lewis	Hammond
Ms Frances Bedford	Florey	Hon Jane Lomax-Smith	Adelaide
Ms Lyn Breuer	Giles	Hon Rob Lucas
Mr Mark Brindal	Unley	Hon Wayne Matthew	Bright
Mr Robert Brokenshire	Mawson	Hon Karlene Maywald	Chaffey
Hon Dean Brown	Finniss	Hon Rory McEwen	Mount Gambier
Hon Malcolm Buckby	Light	Dr Duncan McFetridge	Morphett
Mr Paul Caica	Colton	Mr John Meier	Goyder
Hon Terry Cameron		Mr Michael O’Brien	Napier
Ms Vickie Chapman	Bragg	Mrs Liz Penfold	Flinders
Ms Vini Ciccarello	Norwood	Ms Jennifer Rankine	Wright
Hon Patrick Conlon	Elder	Hon Mike Rann	Ramsay
Hon John Dawkins		Mr John Rau	Enfield
Hon Iain Evans	Davenport	Hon Angus Redford
Hon Andrew Evans		Mrs Isabel Redmond	Heysen
Hon Kevin Foley	Port Adelaide	Hon Kate Reynolds
Hon Gail Gago		Hon David Ridgeway
Hon John Gazzola		Hon Terance Roberts
Mrs Robyn Geraghty		Mr Ron Roberts
Hon Ian Gilfillan		Mr Joe Scalzi	Hartley
Mr Mark Goldsworthy	Kavel	Hon Caroline Schaeffer
Hon Graham Gunn	Stuart	Hon Bob Sneath
Mrs Joan Hall	Morialta	Mr Jack Snelling	Playford
Mr Martin Hamilton-Smith	Waite	Hon Terry Stephens
Mr Kris Hanna	Mitchell	Hon Lea Stevens	Elizabeth
Hon John Hill	Kaurna	Hon Rob Such	Fisher
Hon Paul Holloway		Ms Gay Thompson	Reynell
Hon Sandra Kanck		Mr Ivan Venning	Schubert
Hon Rob Kerin	Frome	Hon Jay Weatherill	Cheltenham
Hon Steph Key	Ashford	Hon Trish White	Taylor
Hon Dorothy Kotz	Newland	Mr Mitch Williams	MacKillop
Mr Tom Koutsantonis	West Torrens	Hon Michael Wright	Lee
Hon Robert Lawson		Hon Nick Xenophon
Hon Michelle Lensink		Hon Carmel Zollo

See telephone directory for current addresses of State members shown above