Who, really killed the orchestra?

The curtain as they say has fallen upon the San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra and the San Miguel Chorale. A "news" item termed the whole thing as an act of killing.

Sadly, so-called artists had no problems twisting knives into the belly of the beverage giant by claiming that SMC would rather support basketball than the performing arts.

The tragic truth behind the curtain calls is that after benefiting from a noble corporate attempt at promoting the arts, many now kick the dust, point fingers, and act in true INGRATE fashion.

After having had the privilege to be part of, or benefiting from the birthing, the growth and the fruition of such a talented group artists they now call the Patron "Bad".

It was not very long ago when so-called performing arts critics questioned the motives if not the competence of San Miguel Corporation to undertake such a task.

Even among artist and "high society" circles there were intrigues and mockery hurled at the gallant and praise worthy effort of creating the orchestra and chorale.

Some even called it nothing more than the passing fancy of the moneyed few and an orchestra for personal entertainment.

As it turns out, the resistance was nothing more than elitist defensiveness on the part of those who disagreed with the idea of a liberated "Orchestra" performing on a more public and "commercialized" level.

Not an orchestra for rent, but one that did not restrict itself to the snooty confines of "cultured halls" or elitist gatherings. It was OK for critics that the three tenors or Il Divo would sing Operatic Pop or Pop Opera, but the idea of a "pop orchestra" was for them, hard to swallow.

Five years proved them all wrong.

The San Miguel Orchestra and Chorale came together even when some tried to rip them apart. They performed, they educated, they popularized what once was alien. They held concerts, came out with their albums. And now they’re gone.

Oddly enough, the blame game is being cranked up as if that would resurrect what has been laid to rest. Certain quarters take exception with San Miguel Corporation’s continued support for 4 basketball teams while closing the books on the Orchestra and the Chorale.

Apparently critics have lost sight of the fact that the basketball team are very efficient tools for marketing and promotions, which quickly translate the corporation’s investment into sales and profit. Something, that rarely happens to corporations that support the arts.

If it were not for the basketball teams, who’s to say if there would have been enough profits to justify San Miguel’s unsolicited support for the arts. The fact of the matter is SMC is merely doing the correct thing as any publicly listed corporation should.

In fact San Miguel has had to make very painful decisions within its basketball programs. Over the Christmas holidays, San Miguel had to inform its North and South team of retired veterans that the project would have to be scrapped.

Given the personal and professional history and relationships involved, it was certainly a very painful decision that had to be done during the holidays because of New Year cut-off dates. It was undoubtedly even more painful to let go of yesterday’s heroes who continue to be today’s role models.

Unfortunately today’s reality is no longer just about making "enough" profits. While San Miguel attempts to be the corporation with a soul, with an appreciation and support for the arts, San Miguel must also be an efficient organization that utilizes its resources where it is needed most and where it gets the best result. Ultimately it is about accountability.

Perhaps San Miguel simply had to learn firsthand what many corporate practitioners have long known; the arts is something we can all be a part of but not necessarily part of the company.

The arts feed our soul. Liberates our minds. It stirs our hearts toward hope and passion. But rarely does true art register profit. The magnificence of nature is the reflected art of GOD. You can’t buy it, you can’t own it because it’s free.

Even in today’s America, artists and the organizations that represent them struggle daily as much as annually to promote the arts, educate the youth, and generate funds and grants pieced together from different sources both domestic and international.

Rarely is art a corporate concern. It may be a Corporate Social Responsibility that they promote, support, even defend but it’s certainly not THEIR business.

To cast doubt and ingratitude to one's Patron is rarely a great injustice for in the end we simply show ourselves as laborers and not artisans.

I have often wondered why is it that artists in the Philippines even in the world of classical music and opera fail to achieve relationships with Patrons and sponsors. Perhaps it is because the artists puts too much effort in their artistry and forgets about relationships and reality.

Some insists too much on being non-conformists while others stand firm on tradition. Some insists on roles and works inappropriate for their age as well as their skills. A sadder few walk in their delusion as GOD’s gift to mankind.

They produce outlandish shows that disregard budgets, they produce paintings, photographs and the likes almost mechanically and void of their passion and excellence yet put price tags that cannot be appreciated, no commoner can afford, and cannot be justified by their work.

And to justify this dislocated perspective they call it "ART".

In pedestrian language it is commonly referred to as "Presyong ayaw i-pagbili". (Price not to sell)

I am reminded of a scene from a movie where the editor tells off one of his senior female reporters: "Remember our job is to write about them and not try to be like them".

ART is everyone’s responsibility. Art is about our history, our culture, our aspirations, about our reality. But it is also God’s gift to each of us. It must ultimately bring honor to the giver. That in itself is an "ART".