More or less?

The Oregonian's David Stabler outlines the 10 rules for survival of stressed arts groups devised by Michael Kaiser, president of Washington's Kennedy Center. Kaiser's advice, in essence, is to think big, not small, and long-term, not short-term:

http://www.oregonlive.com/performance/index.ssf/2010/05/michael_kaisers_10_rules_for_a.html

The folks in charge of two of the country's most troubled orchestras, the Honolulu Symphony and Charleston (SC) Symphony, aren't reading Kaiser's playbook.

Management of the Hawaiian orchestra, currently in Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, proposes cutting its budget and season by half, Dan Nakaso reports in the Honolulu Advertiser:

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20100519/NEWS01/5190332/LOCALNEWSFRONT/Symphony+s+business+plan+

The Charleston Symphony's management and board responded to a financial crisis by shutting down the orchestra in March. Now they've proposed cutting musicians' pay by 84 percent, to $3,600 a year, and reducing the concert schedule – a plan, not surprisingly, rejected by the musicians. Adam Parker's report in The Post and Courier:

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/may/22/musicians-reject-cso-agreement/

Kaiser's rule No. 9: "Groups go through cycles. Are current board members the right governors for that moment in time?"