Category - Negotiation

1
Hartford Symphony: RIP?
2
Hartford Symphony Ratification: Two Views
3
Minnesota Orchestra Musicians’ Incredible Gift
4
Hartford Symphony Update
5
HSO on the Radio!
6
The HSO: The Conversation Continues
7
Saving the Hartford Symphony
8
Optimism in Omaha
9
Encouraging News from the Cincinnati Symphony
10
James Stewart on the Metropolitan Opera Negotiations

Hartford Symphony: RIP?

Things have gotten dire indeed in Hartford. Management issued a statement recently that unless a settlement is reached within the next few weeks, they will close down the orchestra at the end of January. In an unprecedented move, management added a service to the musicians’ schedule, requiring all contracted players (and paying them) to attend[…]

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Hartford Symphony Ratification: Two Views

The musicians of the Hartford Symphony took a very difficult vote last Sunday night, after a lengthy but collegial discussion. The result was ratification of management’s “best and final” offer, which includes very significant pay cuts for the Core musicians. The entire package was a 38% reduction in musician compensation. Musicians in Hartford are closely watching developments[…]

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Minnesota Orchestra Musicians’ Incredible Gift

The Minnesota Orchestra held its Annual Meeting on December 3rd and not only announced a surplus of $15,000 but accepted an amazing gift from the musicians. The players, who formed the non-profit Musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra while there were locked out for 16 months, have dissolved this organization and donated the monies raised from self-produced[…]

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Hartford Symphony Update

I’m pleased to report that I plan to attend our first rehearsal next Saturday morning, September 26th, and expect to receive a paycheck in early October. The Hartford Symphony musicians had a rally on the steps of the state capitol in Hartford at noon on September 9th. AFM representatives from New England and New York locals[…]

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HSO on the Radio!

Monday morning at 9 AM, three members of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra sat before microphones and tried to explain to their community why the HSO is in such trouble. I was one of those three. And none of us were truly able to explain why we are where we are. The radio program was courtesy of[…]

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The HSO: The Conversation Continues

In a previous post (“Saving the Hartford Symphony,” July 9), I offered a few observations about the situation at the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. Briefly, the situation is that the management, which is now essentially the Bushnell under an agreement struck 16 months ago, is proposing significant reductions in the number of services offered to many[…]

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Saving the Hartford Symphony

As you may have noticed, tensions between the management and the musicians of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra have been heating up as the two sides try to agree on a new contract. Management, which basically now means the Bushnell [Center for the Performing Arts] under an administrative arrangement put in place a little more than[…]

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Optimism in Omaha

An article came out a couple of weeks ago on Omaha.com with some positive news from the Omaha Symphony.  Attendance during the Symphony’s 2014-15 season was record setting, and even subscription packages to multiple concerts are on the rise. Pretty exciting.  Of course, the question is why. Why are more people coming to the symphony[…]

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Encouraging News from the Cincinnati Symphony

While there is plenty of negative press about the struggle of orchestras in the 21st century, here is a New York Times article about recent successes at the Cincinnati Symphony that is quite encouraging.

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James Stewart on the Metropolitan Opera Negotiations

James Stewart, author of Den of Thieves and many other prize-winning investigative works, has turned his talent to exploring the recent contract negotiations at the Metropolitan Opera. In the March 25, 2015 issue of the New Yorker magazine, Stewart presents an amazingly detailed analysis of these negotiations and what led up to them. As one[…]

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