The State - News from March 2, 1987

The bankrupt Oakland Symphony can be resurrected if the city will provide about $100,000 in “seed money,” says an 11-member task force appointed by Mayor Lionel Wilson. “We have found out this community wants an orchestra,” said task force member Roy Eisenhardt, president of the Oakland A’s baseball team. “We have found they want a full orchestra--not half a loaf.” The symphony was dissolved in federal bankruptcy court last September. The task force, which plans to formally present its recommendations to the mayor March 12, based its findings on responses to questionnaires mailed to 3,000 area residents, discussions with other orchestra managers and a series of conferences. If the orchestra is revived, its budget should be $2 million in its first season, a 43% reduction from the defunct symphony’s final annual budget of $3.5 million, the task force said.