Sandpoint Fest Cuts Budget, Shows

To help salvage this summer’s concert series and climb out of debt, the Festival at Sandpoint has slashed its budget by nearly $250,000.

The festival board agreed to cut one of its four symphony concerts, hack administrative salaries in half, saving $63,900, and offer 11 mainstage concerts instead of 15.

“We are trying to be very conservative, pay off our debt and still offer quality musical programs,” said festival President Dave Slaughter. “We are doing some significant paring down.”

The festival still is saddled with a $90,000 deficit after last season, mainly due to poor ticket sales.

The non-profit group also is trying to rebound from months of internal turmoil. Three paid staffers and the executive director for four years, Connie Berghan, all resigned several months ago. Two of them are suing the festival for back wages.

Before that, festival supporters were outraged when the board suggested moving some concerts out of town to Kootenai County.

“In light of where the organization is now and with basically a brand new board with brand new staff, we wanted a conservative budget with realistic financial goals,” said interim director Jack Alotto.

Because of the debt and internal problems, organizers anticipate a drop in individual donations and about a $50,000 loss in corporate support.

“There is no doubt we have lost some major contributors,” Alotto said. “Corporations are business people and they want us to be a good business.”

Two areas where the festival did not cut funds were for individual mainstage acts and the Schweitzer Institute of Music. The institute, headed by conductor Gunther Schuller, is where students from across the country come to hone their classical music skills.

“This budget is a commitment by the board to leave the two core parts of the festival intact and cut where we can,” Alotto said. “It’s a demonstration of good sound management.”

Other cuts the board made include going from four to two paid staff members, scrapping a newsletter to supporters, and moving the festival out of its $800 a month downtown office. Washington Water Power Co. agreed to let the festival use another downtown location for free.

Organizers hoped to buy a new festival tent, since the current one was ripped during bad weather last year. But Slaughter said the old tent will be repaired instead.

“We are trying every little way we can to save,” he said.

Even with the cutbacks, the festival still projects a $13,000 deficit next year. That still would leave the festival in much better shape than it currently is, Alotto said.

The festival hopes to select a new executive director next month and may start announcing its summer concerts by the end of the month.

, DataTimes