If a public service contract with national broadcaster DR that is about to be signed by culture minister Marianne Jelved holds up, the DR entertainment or light orchestra, Underholdningsorkestret, will cease operations at the end of this year.
"It’s true,” Jelved told DR. “The orchestra is not included in the contract with DR, because there is no funding for it.”
No money, no music
Although a majority in parliament said that they would like to see the orchestra saved, Jelved said that they have not come up with any funding ideas, so she will shorty sign the agreement that cuts the musicians.
“We have not managed to agree on how the orchestra can continue,” she said. "We have spent many weeks and have still not reached any workable conclusion.”
Members of other parties accused Jelved of stonewalling during the negotiations.
“It has been hard to get the culture minister to open the door,” Venstre spokesperson Michael Aastrup Jensen told Politiken.
Political will not enough
Debate over the fate of the orchestra has raged since DR announced it would shut down the group. Enhedslisten and other parties then pressured Jelved to persuade DR to save the orchestra.
Although Jelved declined direct involvement in DR’s internal negotiations, she did suggest a scenario in which the DR Symphony Orchestra employed extra musicians to perform some of the tasks currently handled by the entertainment orchestra.
READ MORE: Up to 200 jobs cut at DR
The deal with DR is part of a larger media savings plan adopted by parliament in June that will free up 161 million kroner annually over the next four years.
