Archive - September 2012

1
10,000 lakes, one fish, and no settlements
2
What Musicians Can Teach Doctors
3
A bad settlement in Atlanta
4
Why Music is Important: The Economic Answer
5
When’s it OK to ask musicians to work for free?
6
That was quick
7
Norman doesn’t get negotiations
8
Boston Symphony Orchestra Partners with Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra
9
On the fungibility of musicians
10
Musician’s Health Issues — A Reminder to Take Care of Yourself

10,000 lakes, one fish, and no settlements

And not a lot of truth from employers in the Land of the North Star either, it seems: Musicians for the Minnesota Orchestra say management is threatening to lock them out at midnight Sunday unless there is a contract agreement by then. Orchestra musicians say they will vote on a management contract proposal on Saturday.

Read More

What Musicians Can Teach Doctors

I attended a meeting of the Hartford Medical Society last week to hear a presentation by Dr. Lisa Wong, a pediatrician who plays violin with the Longwood Symphony in Boston – the doctor’s orchestra. She’s written a book, Scales to Scalpels, about the orchestra and the role of music in medicine. As I was chatting[…]

Read More

A bad settlement in Atlanta

The musicians of the Atlanta Symphony voted to ratify a tentative settlement that was pretty much what ASO management (or perhaps the Woodruff Center) wanted all along: Symphony Orchestra accepted a new collective bargaining agreement Wednesday, barely averting a postponement of the fall season. The deal will cost players $5.2 million in compensation over two[…]

Read More

Why Music is Important: The Economic Answer

The London School of Economics is no slouch when it comes to understanding the real world in all its fiscal glory (or calamity). Several of its researchers have been working with three of the top music schools in London – the Royal Academy, the Royal College, and the Guildhall in producing an economic impact report on the three schools.

Read More

When’s it OK to ask musicians to work for free?

For sure it’s not when the person asking has raised $1.2 million for her new album but doesn’t want to pay back-up musicians on the road. Fortunately for all concerned, she (very grudgingly) changed her mind after considerable public outcry. Many AFM locals had a prohibition in their bylaws about members working for free, at[…]

Read More

That was quick

Maybe not the shortest orchestral strike on record, but likely close to it: They entered the negotiating room in the Chicago Symphony Association’s lawyer’s office at 2 p.m. Monday, and by about 6:45 p.m. a tentative agreement had been reached in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s first musicians strike in 21 years. The orchestra announced shortly[…]

Read More

Norman doesn’t get negotiations

It’s not surprising that Norman Lebrecht was right on top of the Chicago Symphony strike. It’s also not surprising that much of what he wrote missed the point or was simply wrong: Chicago is where the present inflationary cycle started when Henry Fogel, the former manager, caved in to a union demand for a $104,000[…]

Read More

Boston Symphony Orchestra Partners with Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra

I received an email on Friday from the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra (formerly known as GBYSO) announcing a partnership with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Saturday, September 22, was opening night at the BSO, and their Chairman, Ted Kelly, formally announced the partnership during the gala season opening night dinner. And BYSO cellists joined BSO cellists,[…]

Read More

On the fungibility of musicians

One of the uglier memes being spread by the proponents of the Great Attempted Orchestral Downsizing of 2012 is that cutting the pay of musicians won’t damage the quality of the orchestra because everyone is replaceable. A recent post by Chicago lawyer Kevin Moen summarizes it perfectly: Perhaps most disturbing, however, is the response from[…]

Read More

Musician’s Health Issues — A Reminder to Take Care of Yourself

If you have an interest or concerns about musician’s health issues, you will want to check out this Special Report from Musical America. It covers topics ranging from injury prevention, (with Polyphonic.org frequent contributor, Janet Horvath, prominently represented), to health care plans for performing musicians. Here’s a sampling of “chapters.” Musician, Protect Thyself: A Few […]

Read More