In the windows of the future Cartier Foundation imagined by Jean Nouvel, in front of the reflection of the Council of State, an orchestra has settled. The appointment was set for June 26 at 2 p.m. The musicians came from all over France to “play the serenade under the windows of Rima Abdul Malak, the Minister of Culture”. Behind this improvised orchestra: two unions, the SNAM-CGT and the National Union of Musicians and the World of Music (SN3M-FO).
The musicians are alarmed by a declining musical offer. To overcome the financial difficulties, some operas have been deprogrammed, replaced or even completely closed for a few months. They denounce “the decline of musical life”. Between the overture to Carmen, by Bizet and a funeral march by Beethoven, a musician from the Lille orchestra worries about “stagnant subsidies for 12 years making the future uncertain.” “It is a public service mission of culture that is under attack,” he adds.
A cellist from the Lorraine Opera warns of the suppression of performances. A musician from the Tours opera denounces the precarious jobs faced by the musicians of her musical training. “In Tours, the competition to be part of the orchestra leads to a CDD, and the employment of artists becomes a variable for adjusting the budget,” she explains. His request: a CDI for musicians.
For months, Opera professionals have been warning about a situation that has become more than critical. Almost everywhere in France, opera directors are deprogramming or replacing shows with concert versions, or even closing for several months to reduce costs. Objective: not to completely lower the curtain. From Nantes to Montpellier via Lille, Toulouse or even Mulhouse, no structure is spared. Emmanuel Hondré, director of the Bordeaux opera, confided in the columns of Figaro that his structure had to face “an additional salary cost of 500,000 euros and that of energy of 1.5 million euros”. At the Opéra national de Lorraine, the hole already amounted to 430,000 euros in February, according to its director Matthieu Dussouillez.
In March, communities, the Ministry of Culture and unions met. From this discussion, Rima Abdul Malak announced the signing of a Commitment Pact for orchestras. And this is considered very insufficient by the musicians who demand the refinancing of their orchestras and operas, the increase in the number of productions in the interest of the public as well as a plan to reduce precariousness for staff whose contracts are fixed term. According to the inter-union press release announcing the “concert demonstration”, “at the rate things are going, if nothing is done, in a few months we fear going from the stage of temporary closures to that of permanent closures.”