Why do orchestras go on tour so much? My local orchestra, which went into bankruptcy, is currently touring Europe. And, hey, good for them, sounds fun. Maybe the nice people in Europe pay them well. But I'm pretty sure Europe has their own orchestras, so why do they pay well to bring in some Americans? It costs a lot of money to move 90 people and their instruments around the world. I'm not suggesting that all orchestras are interchangeable commodities, that there's no difference, but the idea of touring orchestras in an era of uncertain arts funding is just weird.
