SHENZHEN Concert Hall management has responded to allegations over the venue s financial losses and low rate of use over the past three years.
According to a report submitted to lawmakers, Shenzhen Concert Hall has seen losses totaling 21.72 million yuan (US$3.27 million) since it opened in October 2007.
Wang Lei, manager of the hall s management company, said the concert hall was a nonprofit organization which required government support.
Among the concert halls in the world, only Broadway [in New York] can make money, Wang said.
As for the 40.41 million yuan in government support for the venue between 2007 and 2009, Wang said the money had been used to subsidize cheap tickets to allow residents to enjoy world-class cultural performances.
In addition, the concert hall gave free performances each Sunday, Wang said.
Besides facility maintenance, the government funding was used for citizens. The expression economic loss should not be used for us, Wang said.
He said that government funding of Dongguan s concert hall came to more than that of Shenzhen Concert Hall.
In response to accusations that the venue staged too few performances, Wang said the hall had planned a total of 174 performances this year, but each performance required three to four days for rehearsals and stage setting.
Wang admitted that Shenzhen had lagged behind Shanghai and Hong Kong in the occupancy rate of its concert hall, but that this was a result of the market environment.
Local people s awareness of high art still needs fostering; Shenzhen used to be described as a cultural desert, he said.
Shanghai Grand Theater and Hong Kong Cultural Center hold performances on 220 days of the year on average, the report said.
According to the report, Shenzhen Grand Theater, another performance venue in the city, remained unused for two-thirds of the days between 2007 and 2009.
The city has spent 23.58 million yuan funding the theater over the past three years.
(Martin Li)
