“We’re seeing substanial progress,” enthused Controller Gord Hume. This after being warned by the city’s general manager of financial services, Vic Cote, that by next spring the orchestra will have spent most of the $500,000 line of credit the city advanced six months ago.

Then what?

Mr. Cote, who has been hand-holding the orchestra’s board of directors on its delicate walk along the edges of bankruptcy, is in a position to know exactly what is needed. He was very clear: “The orchestra is ahead of where they thought they would be, but the key is revenues in the next few months. I am not 100 per cent confident the line of credit won’t be overdrawn.”

Joe Swan, the orchestra’s interim managing director, was candid but upbeat. “We’ve done everything we can do squeeze the numbers,” he told Board of Control. “Now our energy is focused on revenue generation.”

In the absence of any more government money – the city is already providing a $482,688 annual subsidy in addition to its $500,000 line of credit – Mr. Swan sees three additional sources of funding. He wants to develop a larger audience and plans to target university and college students; he wants to create more partnerships, especially with Western and Fanshawe; and he wants to expand community support, in particular with business.

Those aspirations – Mr. Swan didn’t offer any concrete plans beyond noting a Halloween Ball Oct. 30 has generated about $30,000 in corporate sponsorships – are expected to nudge the orchestra into the black for the 2010-11 season, he said.

But what if? Orchestra London has already slashed expenditures, cancelling its annual early summer opera, for example – which, while generally popular with audiences, cost money rather than made it. Staff has been reduced and orchestra members have deferred salary increases. But revenue has dropped, too, down to a forecast for this season of $2.88 million from $3.28 million last year. That will translate into an expended loss this season of about $100,000 and an accumulated deficit of almost $469,000.

That would leave about $31,000 of wiggle room on the line of credit and quite possibly a plea for more cash next fall. City council, heading into the Nov. 13, 2010 election and noting less enthusiasm in the community than was evident at Board of Control yesterday, is not likely to be in the mood.

Maybe instead of slashing the obvious expenses and going after the obvious – but uncertain – revenue streams it’s time for Orchestra London to totally rethink itself. For example, do we need a taxpayer-supported professional classical orchestra? Why or why not? If so, what does it really need to look like and why? Does it really need to be London based or could we have a Southwestern Ontario Symphony Orchestra instead?

Questions, questions, questions. Will we get the right answers before the money runs out?