Comment on the situation of the Avant Chamber Orchestra
On 9 March 2018, the Ministry of Education and Culture decided to recover a total of 500 000 euros in unjustified VOS subsidies from the Avant Chamber Orchestra. This decision effectively means the end of the orchestra’s activities.
We, the undersigned, would like to point out that the Ministry could have decided otherwise if it wished. Avanti! has been under the watchful eye of the Ministry of Education and Culture since the VOS system was set up. The orchestra has regularly and transparently submitted an activity report and audited accounts to the Ministry. These documents have apparently not been made available to the Ministry, as for twenty years the orchestra has not received any instructions or suggestions for corrections. Avanti! has itself identified the anomalies that have now arisen and has conscientiously contacted the Ministry.
We are deeply concerned about the way the Ministry of Education and Culture approaches the monitoring of the funding it allocates. Particularly now that the VOS system and its criteria are being reformed, we hope that the government will show particular attention to the implementation of the criteria, both artistically and administratively. We believe that by now recovering old state contributions from Avant, the Ministry is punishing an innocent orchestra for its own negligence.
If the government believes that Finnish music life is best served by the ministry covering up its own negligence by burying its embarrassing mistake and the orchestra that is the subject of the negligence, the decision may be legally valid, but it is a disgrace to the ministry’s actual mission.
We understand that the Ministry – knowing that the orchestra cannot repay the money – is forcing Avant into bankruptcy. The Ministry does not get its money back but the orchestra ceases to exist; everyone loses. The damage to the cultural life of our country is irreparable. The Finnish classical music scene is famous for its openness and open-mindedness. In creating and maintaining this atmosphere, Avanti! has been an essential factor in creating and maintaining this atmosphere.
During its existence, Avanti! has played more than 600 premieres. It regularly collaborates with the country’s leading performers and composers. The orchestra is known for its altruism and idealism. Now, by its official decision, the Ministry is dangerously putting the economy at odds with the spirit that carries our music into the future.
We hope the Ministry of Education and Culture will reverse its decision. After all, it is a question of whether form matters more than substance.
Berlin – Helsinki – Lahti – Los Angeles – Rovaniemi – Paris – Sydney – Stockholm – Tokyo – Vienna, 13 March 2018
Anssi Karttunen
Pekka Kuusisto
Magnus Lindberg
Hannu Lintu
Susanna Mälkki
Sakari Oramo
Kaija Saariaho
Esa-Pekka Salonen
Jukka-Pekka Saraste
Dima Slobodeniouk
John Storgårds
Lotta Wennäkoski
