Culture signs agreement with the Symphony Foundation

The Minister of Culture recently signed an agreement with the Symphony Foundation to unite efforts to “consolidate and sustain the artistic prestige, technical and interpretive quality of the National Symphony Orchestra” (OSN in Spanish).

The agreement states that the Culture Ministry will give full support to the Symphony “in managing fundraising for financial support of the OSN,…

The agreement states that the Culture Ministry will give full support to the Symphony “in managing fundraising for financial support of the OSN, obtain cash donations and instruments for the orchestra,” among other actions that will help “strengthen the equity fund that assures continuance of the OSN’s activities.”

The Ministry will also recognize the Symphony “as an entity for financial, artistic and institutional support,” without weakening the legal framework governing the Secretary of State, in its logistical, budgetary or financial availability.

Also “broad support will be provided for the celebration of the Santo Domingo Music Festival organized every two years by the Symphony.”

The Symphony Foundation will assume the expenses of acquiring copies of the music needed by the orchestra for the special seasonal concerts it promotes.

It will also be responsible for 50% of the costs of expendable material, the costs of extra musicians’ contracts and the bonuses paid to the musicians three times a year. These bonuses will be delivered through the Ministry of Culture and will be directly proportional to the income obtained by the number of productive activities the Symphony develops with the OSN.

Other areas of support of the Symphony Foundation will be the management of OSN trips abroad and payment of housing with all its belongings and commodities for the Acting Director of the Orchestra.

The agreement, among other things, will determine that the Ministry of Culture, through the General Fine Arts Directorate, will produce a maximum annual season of 12 concerts, while the Symphony will have 14 weeks for special concerts.

The five-year agreement was signed by Minister of Culture Jose Rafael Lantigua and Symphony Foundation president Margarita Copello de Rodriguez in the foundation’s offices; in attendance were directors and officers from both institutions.

Photo: The Minister of Culture, Jose Rafael Lantigua, exchanges the text of the agreement signed with Margarita Copello de Rodriguez, President of the Symphony; also present are Wilhem Brower, Vice-President, and the Vice-Ministers of Culture, Bernarda Jorge and Alexander Santana.