I was having lunch with my old high school friend Les Peetz, now a local jazz pianist, and he was lamenting his troubles with operating a computer.

"I wouldn't worry about it," I said. "I don't know any computer guys who can operate a piano as well as you do."

That led us into a discussion of the financial difficulties of the Honolulu Symphony, where dedicated musicians who make a base salary of only $33,000 had gone without pay for 11 weeks and next season was in danger.

"Some of the musicians I know are talking about leaving," Les said. "What choice to they have? I don't understand how we can let this happen. The symphony has been here 100 years."

Shortly after we talked, an anonymous donor gave the symphony $1.175 million, enough to cover seven weeks of the musicians' pay and assure that there will be a 2008-09 season. Symphony officials were hoping the orchestra's annual ball over the weekend would raise up to $400,000 to cover the rest of the back pay.

But even after the gift, the symphony remains $2 million in debt and is far from out of the woods for the long-term.

The indifference of our top public officials to the plight of such an important community institution has been surprising.

The Legislature this year turned down the symphony's request for an emergency $810,000 grant to deal with the back pay and help save the 2008-09 season.

The city added greatly to recent woes by kicking the symphony out of the Blaisdell Concert Hall that was built for the orchestra to make room for a run of "The Lion King."

The displacement for part of this year's season cost the symphony $500,000 in lost ticket sales and increased its annual operating budget by more than $1 million.

Public officials haven't prominently promoted the symphony's efforts to raise $6 million privately over the next three years to pay its long-term debt and return to sound financial footing.

Access to the finest classical music provided by the symphony elevates the spirit of our community and enhances our city's prestige.

Symphony musicians enrich 20,000 children a year through outreach programs and provide private instruction to nearly 1,000 students.

"Like libraries and museums, a symphony cannot be replaced overnight — it could take decades to rebuild such an institution," said the orchestra's generous anonymous donor.

In reading up on the symphony, I came across a letter to the editor my friend Les wrote a few years ago, when the musicians had to take a 20 percent pay cut.

"It is tempting during hard times to reduce funding in areas that are deemed discretionary, but the Honolulu Symphony (a first-rate organization in a small city) is as much of a part of our lives' fabric as a university — or, for that matter, a football team," he said.

"The richness and variety of its repertoire — exposing us all to musical worlds that give depth and meaning to musicians and non-musicians like — is not something that should be diluted."

He said artists who master a musical instrument "must have the reflexes of a surgeon and the toughness and stamina of an athlete."

"No one is asking that a musician's life be easy," he said. "One can hope only that the difficulty of that life not be compounded by something less than a living wage."

Not to mention 11 weeks of no pay at all.

Those wishing to donate to the Honolulu Symphony can do so at 524-0815 or www.honolulusymphony.com/donate.php.

David Shapiro, a veteran Hawai'i journalist, can be reached by e-mail at dave@volcanicash.net. His columns are archived at www.volcanicash.net. Read his daily blog at www.volcanicash.honadvblogs.com.

David Shapiro, a veteran Hawai'i journalist, can be reached by e-mail at dave@volcanicash.net. His columns are archived at www.volcanicash.net. Read his daily blog at blogs.honoluluadvertiser.com.