'This is a very tough time'

Musicians of the Cincinnati Symphony will take an 11 percent cut in salaries, on top of 15 pay cuts for the orchestra's administrative staff, to help ease a $3.8 million deficit, Janelle Gelfand reports in the Cincinnati Enquirer:

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090202/NEWS01/302020030/1025/ENT

The Shreveport (LA) Symphony, mired in a long-running labor dispute, cancels the rest of the season:

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20090203/NEWS01/90203021/1060

The Charleston (SC) Symphony considers cutting $500,000 from its $2.9 million budget next season:

http://eargasm.ccpblogs.com/2009/01/31/cso-plans-big-time-budget-slash/

The Augusta (GA) Opera cancels the rest of its 2008-09 season:

http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2009/02/03/met_510018.shtml

The Portland (ME) Symphony will cut staff, reduce salaries and cancel summer pops concerts in the face of a $200,000 deficit:

http://news.mainetoday.com/updates/039220.html

"This is a very tough time," says Ari Solotoff, the Maine orchestra's executive director.