Major Layoffs Hit Brooklyn Academy Of Music

PROSPECT HEIGHTS, NY — The Brooklyn Academy of Music, a community staple of over 150 years, laid off 13 percent of its staff last week, according to The New York Times and a spokesperson.

Some 26 positions were cut as the organization faces a shrinking donor base and a "downturn in charitable giving for the arts," according to a spokesperson for Brooklyn Academy of Music.

"We will implement organizational changes over the coming months which will better position us to weather the downturn in charitable giving for the arts and address an outdated business model," read a letter to staff.

The layoffs, which officials likened to "putting on [an] oxygen mask," follow other moves to cut bike, like scaling down its Next Wave Festival, according to The New York Times.

A union representative of Local 2110, which represented many laid off, told The New York Times despite some potential new positions offered, the layoffs were disappointing.

“We are really just not happy with this development, to say the least,” Megan Grann told the Times.

In 2019, the Brooklyn Academy of Music completed a much-anticipated renovation connecting three of its sites in Brooklyn.

In the same year, BAM's administrative employees voted to unionize amid worsened working conditions, benefits and healthcare.