The City of Helsinki Culture and Leisure Division commissioned a study on the type of governance model that would best serve the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, taking into account the orchestra’s basic mission and the needs of Helsinki residents. The report was handed over to the city on Monday, 15 January 2024.
The plan is to use the recent study as an aid in the decision-making process, as the city wants to examine during the spring of 2024 which governance model would be best for the orchestra. The study was completed by Teijamari Jyrkkiö, LLM, MA.
“The operating environment of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and cultural services more broadly is constantly changing. The aim of the report is to provide as comprehensive a picture as possible of the differences between governance models to support the city’s decision-making,” explains Mari Männistö, Helsinki City Culture Director.
“We will now study the report to determine matters such as whether the benefits of establishing a foundation, as presented in the report, are sufficiently weighty from the overall economic point of view and in terms of the city’s best interests and the orchestra’s operations,” says Juha Ahonen, Head of the Culture and Leisure Division.
The study was commissioned based on the overall culture services strategy, which includes a review of the organisation of the services and alternative governance models. The author’s opinion is that if the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra in the form of a foundation were liable to pay VAT on its actual operations, the foundation model would be the most viable governance option from the perspective of the orchestra’s operations.
The study was managed by a steering group headed by Chief Administrative Officer Kirsti Laine-Hendolin. During the spring of 2024, the city will review the report and outline which of the findings will be taken forward and within what timeframe.
Inquiries:
Mari Männistö, Culture Director, tel. +358 400 539 900, mari.mannisto@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program)
Juha Ahonen, Head of Culture and Leisure Division, tel. +358 50 411 3033, juha.a.ahonen@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program)