California Arts Council Awards $328,892 to Groups

The California Arts Council on Thursday awarded $328,892 to 11 Orange County arts organizations.

Most grants were slightly higher than last year, but subsidies to three groups declined. The Orange County Philharmonic Society, one of the county’s oldest and most prominent cultural institutions, had the biggest decline.

The society, which presents touring orchestras and other performing arts groups from around the world, was awarded $20,687, down from $33,005 last year. An official for the society, which successfully appealed a council grant reduction two years ago, said Thursday that the group will decide whether to appeal this year’s award after it finds out why the amount was reduced.

The total to Orange County arts groups was up nearly 50% from what the same number of organizations received last year. A CAC official said that statewide, fewer arts groups applied for grants, leaving a larger pool to be shared by those that did.

Meanwhile, South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa won the year’s highest grant of $83,390. Opera Pacific, also in Costa Mesa, came in second with $53,273.

The Santa Ana-based Pacific Symphony took third place with $52,868 and won an additional $55,000 Challenge grant to support its commission of a symphonic-choral work commemorating the Vietnam War. The work, by New York composer Elliot Goldenthal, is slated to be premiered by the orchestra in 1995.

SCR’s top ranking of 4 (on the CAC’s scale of 1 to 4) was up from last year’s 4-. Pacific Symphony’s ranking rose from 3+ to 4-.

Last year, 11 county arts groups were awarded a total of $221,768. The council awarded a total of $5,262,700 to about 600 arts groups statewide.