"Musicians need a stage"
— Anna Stierle: Concepts Lichtgrau, singer & art mediator, Salzburg
How did you experience the Corona period as an artist?
It all came so suddenly and to see that many of my fellow singers, with whom I had sung regularly before, were suddenly faced with nothing, I found shocking. Even before the shutdown, the situation in the industry for freelance singers was extremely difficult. The number of very talented young musicians in Salzburg is enormous thanks to the Mozarteum University and the Salzburg Festival. In addition, there are those who come here from all over the world, because this city has an incredible attraction for artists of all kinds. This puts enormous pressure on wages, and there is no insurance for normal freelancers, or the rates would be much too high anyway. On the other hand, we benefit from a very diverse cultural program. With the mini fairy tale opera, we were forced to cancel all performances. Several performances of "Hansel and Gretel" after E. Humperdinck were planned. It was all the more painful when we learned that we would have played to a sold-out hall in Vienna. Our new production of "The Three Roses" was a commissioned work that I had given to Milan Stojkovic, our pianist, and Julia Ortmann-Radau, the librettist. The money was suddenly gone, because there is no funding without proof of performance, and all the hard work that had gone before was suddenly in ruins. But much worse was the long wait and not knowing when I could start planning events again. Everyone I spoke to was helpless and at a loss. We used this time very intensively to work on the content. An enormous potential of creative ideas emerged and this also gave us the idea of acquiring the Heckentheater in the Mirabellgarten as a venue. I have to say that my incredibly great colleagues also encouraged me a lot during this time to continue working and to find solutions. They were willing to take the risk, earn hardly anything and work a lot. That made us grow together as a team!
What conditions do you need as an artist to be able to work "normally" again?
More courage in the audience to attend events. A realistic view. Many events are currently with free admission. People also need to think, where is the money coming from for this production? Who is paying for it and what are the artists getting? Would I go to this event if I had to pay admission? What does a production cost anyway? There are people who believe that you can earn millions with entrance fees… We are spoiled in Salzburg when it comes to cultural offerings. The whole city profits from the image of the city of Mozart. But many people forget that it is actually classical music that (before Corona) attracts thousands of visitors here every day. Choirs from all over the world come just to be serenaded on Cathedral Square, and young people pay a lot of money for classical music master classes and workshops and private lessons. Salzburg is the classical music hotspot in the heart of Europe. This is felt by trade and tourism. That's why, for example, the Old Town Association organizes several free concerts for locals and tourists. In addition to the local tax, I could imagine something like an additional tax for tourists as a cultural levy. The money should be used to increase the fees for musicians and a uniform tariff table should be established. Founding a trade union for freelance musicians working in Salzburg would possibly be an additional sensible measure. Long before Corona, I have been in favor of a minimum income or additional tax relief for freelance musicians. Of course, coupled with strict requirements and conditions! I also experience the phenomenon that I am supposed to plan the musical framework for events and explicitly acquire young "cheap" Mozarteum students. I then point out to people that I have standard rates. Unfortunately, others in the industry do not, and many Mozarteum students rely on a sideline and undercut the market rate. As a rule, they do not pay social security contributions as students. This is incredibly troublesome for the honest self-employed in the industry and ultimately hurts everyone.
Are there already new perspectives and new projects that you can carry out?
Yes, definitely. I've been feverishly looking for opportunities for the mini fairy tale opera. In the end, I was also helped by the incredibly motivating and nice conversations with municipal officials and cultural organizers. Everyone thought the project was great and that motivated me to keep at it and solve problems. Some doors have closed but many new doors have opened.
Is there anything else you would like to share with us from an artist's point of view?
Musicians need a stage. Right now, artists are almost desperate for opportunities to perform. Many go out on the street or sing out of the window. You have to love practicing with your instrument or voice and consider it a privilege to be paid for it or to perform in front of a full house. Humility, discipline, patience and respect are probably the most important virtues that you need in your toolbox as a musician right now.
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