News

Musicians at Chicago's Lyric Opera have voted to receive less than full pay so ring cycle members can receive a weekly paycheck until the end of the performance season in May.

A statement from the musicians said:

"Allowing the extra musicians to go without a paycheck was simply unacceptable to the orchestra. For the past four years, regular and extra musicians have worked side-by-side. 

"For the Musicians of the Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra, the choice was clear: they must care for their entire Ring orchestra family."

Houston Grand Opera has committed to paying its artists 50% of their salaries: "Everyone from our star performers to the ushers will be supported during this uncertain time."

Peter Gelb, General Manager of New York's Metropolitan Opera, has waived his salary, while higher-paid administrative staff are taking pay cuts. Full-time union employees have been offered pay through March.

DCMS is leading a major volunteering drive to support the civil sector during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Bodies such as the National Council of Volunteering Organisations (NCVO), British Red Cross and National Emergencies Trust are being closely supported, the Government says.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: "I know that many people across the country are wondering how they can help those who are more vulnerable – whether that’s delivering food to those isolating or simply being around for a chat on the phone.

"I have been so encouraged by how the British public, alongside our brilliant charities and volunteers, are rising to the challenges presented by COVID-19 and supporting each other at this challenging time."

More details on the Government’s plans and how individuals and organisations can take part will be announced soon.

Glastonbury Festival 2020, the event's 50th anniversary, has been cancelled.

It is the first major UK festival to be called off and could trigger further festival cancellations across Europe.

Organisers apologised to 135,000 pre-paid ticketholders: "We understand that it is not always easy to secure a Glastonbury ticket, which is why we would like to offer all those people the chance to roll their £50 deposit over to next year, and guarantee the opportunity to buy a ticket for Glastonbury 2021."

"Again, we’re so sorry that this decision has been made. It was not through choice."

The Arts Council of Wales (ACW) has delayed funding conditions for its portfolio for three months.

Advice issued late on Tuesday says ACW is still not sure what form its support for the sector might take: "The scale of the problem is beyond our financial resources alone."

"We’re urgently exploring with the Welsh Government what financial support might be available to mitigate the effects of closures, cancellations and loss of income."

Like Arts Council England, ACW says project grants will be honoured regardless of whether the activity is delivered. However, it is asking organisations to stick to the usual processes and timescales for applications.

"If you’re successful in your application, we’ll contact you to see if you need to amend your plans in the light of Government advice at that time. We’ll try and find ways of helping you to realise your plans, but if that’s not possible you can choose to withdraw from your funding award."

Workers at a 186-year-old entertainment venue in Stroud have been offered redundancy.

Subscription Rooms, which runs music and comedy gigs, will temporarily close. A £29,000 grant from local authorities last year is "not sufficient to continue to trade," a Stroud Town Council document says.

The report says: "One important learning point is that there should have been more work in shifting the culture of organisation away from the previous council environment, which was very much focused on minimis[ing] expenditure, rather than community engagement and involvement."

Stroud Town and District councils said running costs have already been cut by 25% but more must be done.

"The [Subscription Rooms'] Trust are reviewing the staff structure to make sure they can afford to pay the people they need to survive."

A £350m indoor arena planned for Manchester would be the largest in the UK.

OVG, the firm behind the scheme, insists Manchester can sustain a second stadium despite the protestations of the existing 21,000 seat Manchester Arena. The 23,500 capacity development is expected to host about 120 sporting and cultural events a year and provide more than 1000 jobs once completed in 2023.

Chief Executive Tim Leiweke said the city "deserves a new arena".

"Most of the big markets have two, three or four arenas. If you look at London when the O2 was built many people predicted the demise of Wembley Arena, but they've just had he best year they've ever had.

"People can have opinions on whether the market needs two but the reality is we're the ones taking the risk."

Edinburgh International Festival has cancelled all launch events, opting instead to livestream them as Covid-19 spreads.

Opening events in London and Edinburgh will be online-only, broadcast live on 18 March. Audiences will be able to post questions to the to the programming team, the organisation says.

Ticketholders who cannot attend any festival event because of the coronavirus will be eligible for a full refund.

Cultural institutions in the Republic of Ireland will close for a fortnight from 6pm on Thursday as the country responds to the coronavirus outbreak.

Premier Leo Varadkar's announcement that all schools, colleges and childcare facilities will close also affects state-run cultural institutions like the National Gallery, National Library, Cork Opera House and Abbey Theatre.

Indoor gatherings of more than 100 people and outdoor meetings of more than 500 people will be cancelled.