DOS Orchestra 015 - 4 October 94
News from the world of professional orchestras.
Copyright 1994, International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians
Topics
Boston Symphony Dedicates Season to 50th Anniversary of WW2
The Boston Symphony has dedicated its current season to the 50th anniversary
of the end of World War II. The opening concert of the season featured music
written during and/or about the war, including the theme from "Schindler's
List," the music for which was written by former Boston Pops music
director John Williams. Itzhak Perlman was the soloist.
The BSO's upcoming tours will include several cities that suffered greatly
during World War II, such as Berlin, Nagasaki, and Tokyo. The concert in
Tokyo on New Year's Day will be televised worldwide.
Chicago Symphony Announces Chamber Series
The Chicago Symphony announced on September 29 that the E. Nakamichi Foundation
will sponsor the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chamber Music Series for the
second straight year. The sixteen concerts, all of which feature the musicians
of the CSO, will be held at four different locations. There will be six
concerts at Orchestra Hall, eight concerts at the Chicago Art Institute
featuring performances, slide presentations, discussion, and self-guided
tours of selected galleries, and one performance at Northwestern University
and North Park College.
The concerts will feature music chosen by the performers, and will range
from a piano trio of Haydn to a work by Sandroff written in 1990 for Clarinet
and Computer-Controlled Sound Processors.
According to CSO management, the chamber series concerts last year were
"invariably sold out."
Chicago Symphony: Musicians to Play Benefit for Striking Workers
The Staley Workers Solidarity Committee has sent the following letter, announcing
the appearance of nine members of the Chicago Symphony at a benefit concert:
"One year ago, we were pleased to invite you to a very special concert
to benefit the workers of the A.E. Staley plant in Decatur, Illinois, who
have been locked out of their plant since June of 1993. Through the artistry
of the Mallarme' Quartet, which was generously donated, that event raised
over $3,000, which was forwarded to the locked-out workers.
The struggle of the Staley workers continues to this day, and while we wish
we could inform you that the conflict has been equitably settled, we are
again pleased to invite you to another exciting evening of music and solidarity.
This year, while the locked-out workers continue - and intensify - their
struggle for justice, the Staley Workers Solidarity Committee is proud to
present the Solidarity Chamber Players, comprising nine members of the Chicago
Symphony Orchestra. This year, the evening will feature an all-Mozart program
(Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Quartet for Flute, Violin, Viola & Cello in D,
K. 285, and the Clarinet Quintet in A, K. 581), and will be held in the
beautiful new Anderson Chapel at conveniently located North Park College.
Once again, our goal is to raise money to be forwarded to the locked-out
workers. It has been over a year since they have been able to receive a
steady paycheck, and their economic situation worsens daily. Some are losing
their homes, their automobiles, and their children's tuition. It is the
support from concerned people like you that allows them to continue to stand
up to the multi-national corporation Tate & Lyle which, upon purchasing
A.E.Staley, began a concerted campaign [to] destroy working conditions and
bust the union.
We are again especially encouraged by the enthusiasm of these members of
our local, great orchestra who are eager to support the struggle of industrial
workers in Decatur. We again invite you to join them in the struggle with
your financial support. If you are unable to attend this special concert,
please consider making a generous donation. Your very tangible act of solidarity
will allow the Staley workers and their families to continue their valiant
struggle for job safety, decent work rules, and personal and class dignity.
In solidarity,
(signed) Leon Despres, Ed Sadlowski, Studs Terkel
Covent Garden to Collaborate with Teatro dell'Opera
The Covent Garden Royal Opera House and Rome's Teatro dell'Opera announced
a three-year agreement on Sept. 29 to share productions. Officials of the
Covent Garden company have estimated that the agreement could save each
company up to $1.5 million over the three-year term of the agreement, mostly
on costumes and scenery.
The first joint production will be Mozart's "Cosi fan Tutte,"
which will open in London in January 1995 and in Rome the following month.
Also planned are productions of Rimsky-Korsakov's "Le Coq d'Or,"
Berlioz's "Benvenuto Cellini," and the "Mathis der Maler"
of Hindemith.
Costs will be split on a 60-40 basis, with the company hosting the first
performance bearing the larger portion.
The agreement originated in a request by the Teatro dell'Opera to borrow
a production from Covent Garden. The Rome company has been plagued by financial
and operational problems, the most recent of which was the cancellation
of the traditional summer season at the Caracalla Baths after the government
decided that the performances risked damaging the ancient Roman landmark.
In addition, the finance director of the company resigned in February over
an investigation into the company's finances.
Houston Symphony: Negotiations Continue
Members of the Houston Symphony unanimously rejected management's latest
proposal for a new labor agreement at an orchestra meeting on Sept. 28,
and also reauthorized their negotiating committee to call a strike at any
time.
Management's latest offer, made on Sept. 27, would have raised base weekly
salary for the musicians from last season's $1,060 to $1,200 by November
1996 in six increments. Management's previous proposal was to raise base
salary by $110 over the same period. Management again did not offer to fully
fund dependent health care, the premiums for which the musicians currently
pay half, nor was there a change in their pension proposal, which was to
raise the annual pension from $20,000 to $21,000. The musicians have proposed
$28,000.
The proposal made by the musicians' negotiating committee on Sept. 27 was
to let the musicians allocate $1.9 million for increases in salary, pension,
and benefits. This amount would equal the cost to management of their own
original salary proposal, plus the cost of funding the existing pension
plan so as to provide a benefit of $28,000. The musicians have calculated
that, by moving the pension plan to the American Federation of Musicians
multi-employer pension plan, they could fund both the salary increases of
$225 per week over three years and the $28,000 annual pension that they
have proposed. The musicians believe that they can get a significantly higher
pension benefit for the same contribution from the AFM plan than is available
from their current program.
The executive committee of the Houston Symphony board met on Sept. 29 to
consider the musicians' proposal, which would cost $600,000 more over three
years than the proposal that management made on Sept. 28. HSO executive
director David Wax made a statement after the meeting, which was attended
by approximately 2/3 of the membership of the executive committee, that
management's lawyer would be in touch with the musicians' lawyer with the
results of the meeting.
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra: Daiku at the Bowl
The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, assisted by the Japan America Symphony,
the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles, the Korean Master Chorale, other local
area choruses, and 500 choristers from Japan flying in for the occasion,
will perform Beethoven's Ninth Symphony on Oct. 8 at the Hollywood Bowl.
The Ninth Symphony, known as "Daiku" in Japanese, is a New Year's
tradition in Japan, and is often performed with thousands of singers. The
performance at the Hollywood Bowl will be sponsored by Asahi Homecast Corporation.
The chorus of approximately 1,000 singers will be prepared by Stephen Gothold
of Whittier College, who prepared the massed choirs that appeared at the
1984 Olympics. The performance of the symphony, sometimes called "the
Jingle Bells of Japan," will be conducted by Hiroshi Ishimaru. The
orchestra will also perform the Dvorak "New World" Symphony under
the direction of Heiichiro Ohyama, former principal violist of the Los Angeles
Philharmonic.
Memphis Symphony: New Labor Agreement After Major Gifts
Memphis Symphony musicians ratified a new three year collective bargaining
agreement on Sept. 30 after six months of negotiations.
The agreement was reached after two major grants were announced. The first,
which announced on Sept. 26, was for $40,000 from an anonymous donor, whose
gift was made contingent on the Memphis Orchestral Society raising another
$60,000 this season. Martha Ellen Maxwell, executive director of the Memphis
Symphony, said "this challenge grant changed everything. It changed
all our offers. It was just a bombshell. It is a big relief in one way,
but in another way it puts pressure on our staff, having to go out and raise
more money."
The second grant, which was for $200,000, was approved by the Memphis City
Council on Sept. 27 on a vote of 7-5, and came several months after a similar
measure was rejected by the Council. Council chair Florence Leffler said
she supported the measure because the symphony, which she called "a
valuable economic development asset for our community," was "in
real danger of folding." The grant reimburses the Orchestral Society
for a portion of the expense of constructing a new acoustical shell in the
Auditorium, and comes from hotel taxes that are restricted to support of
the Convention Center, which includes the Auditorium. Lewis Holland, chair
of the symphony board, said that the money will be used to restore endowment
funds that the symphony used to construct the shell.
The new labor agreement freezes wages for this season at last season's levels,
and increases them approximately 7-10% over the three-year term of the agreement.
Management's original proposal called for cuts of two weeks in the season,
which is currently at 38 weeks.
The Memphis Symphony recently retired an accumulated deficit of $657,000,
partly by borrowing $220,000 from its endowment of $4.5 million.
Omaha Symphony: Firing of Violist for Remarks is Overturned
The Omaha Symphony's suspension and subsequent dismissal of principal violist
Michael Strauss last April was reversed by an arbitration panel on Sept.
29.
Strauss, a graduate of Yale University who had played with the Omaha Symphony
for 12 years, was suspended and then fired following a confrontation with
Herman Cain, president and CEO of Godfather's Pizza, after a concert on
April 29. The concert, which was titled "The Color of Love," featured
Cain as baritone soloist backed by a 100-member chorus and the Omaha Symphony.
After the concert, Strauss approached Cain and, according to Strauss, told
Cain "I've seen musicians promote political agendas at rock concerts,
but this is the first time I've seen politics on a symphony stage."
Strauss said that Cain reacted indignantly, denying that the concert was
political but rather was devoted to love and Jesus. Strauss responded "You
should know that I'm Jewish." Symphony officials then asked Strauss
to leave. Strauss said that he returned shortly to apologize to Cain.
The next day, Strauss was suspended by management and did not play the remaining
two concerts in the set. He was later fired. Roland Valliere, executive
director of the Omaha Symphony, described Strauss' behavior as "a serious
breach of professional conduct."
After the incident, Strauss said that "the mission of a symphony orchestra
is to bring people together. Any time you get on a stage that is not a church
or political rally, and you talk about religion or politics, you are going
to divide people." Strauss referred specifically to a remark that Cain
had made that he was going to write a book, "Guess Who's Not Coming
to Dinner at the White House." The remark referred to a nationally
televised exchange between Cain, who is president of the National Restaurant
Association, and President Bill Clinton on health care. Strauss claimed
that Cain's remark was in a context that made it appear as if "the
White House was being run by the devil."
According to Strauss, management offered him $4,000 in back pay and one
year's salary to quietly depart the symphony, but that after he filed a
grievance regarding his firing, a procedure outlined in the orchestra's
collective bargaining agreement, the offer was withdrawn.
After the seven-member arbitration committee made its award and reinstated
him, Strauss, who is currently acting principal violist of the Cedar Rapids
(Iowa) Symphony, said that he had not decided whether to return to Omaha,
but that he felt "vindicated." He said that "it was an excellent
hearing, because we did get to the truth of the matter, and it was an educational
experience for all concerned." Appearing at the arbitration on behalf
of Strauss was William Moyer, who served as personnel manager of the Boston
Symphony for many years.
Valliere said that "we are glad to have this ordeal behind us and to
be able to concern ourselves with the orchestra's mission to make great
music."
Oregon Symphony Appoints First Volunteer Coordinator
John Harris, who most recently coordinated eight volunteer groups with close
to 2,000 members overall for the Cincinnati Art Museum, will join the Oregon
Symphony staff as its first Volunteer Coordinator on Oct. 3.
The new position reflects the Symphony's growing commitment to volunteerism,
said president Don Roth: "Volunteerism is a non-profit's, or arts organization's,
not-so-secret weapon. Other orchestras, as well as a number of other local
non-profits, have said they have found such a position essential in assisting
volunteers to attain maximum success. This is certainly true in the area
of fund raising and financial contributions from volunteerism, as well as
in enhancing the Symphony's image and impact in the community through its
volunteer program."
In addition to his work with the Cincinnati Art Museum, which has the fourth
largest art museum volunteer organization in the country, Harris has significant
fund-raising experience with the Cincinnati Symphony and the Hudson Bay
Company in Minneapolis. He holds a bachelor of music degree from the University
of Cincinnati Conservatory and was third/Associate Principal Horn in the
Orquestra Sinfonica del Estado de Mexico (Mexico City) for two seasons.
"If I were going to come up with the ideal model for a Volunteer Coordinator
candidate, the background and qualifications would be very close to John's,"
said Roth. "He has solid arts experience, with an organization that
is at least as complex if not more complex than ours, and he has a background
in and passion for music."
"I am very excited about working with the Oregon Symphony," said
Harris. "It has developed a fantastic reputation around the country,
and having been a professional musician myself - and having played under
Music Director James DePreist on one occasion - I am aware of the incredible
talent that exists there and of that talent's reach.
"I also am looking forward to working with the very dedicated corps
of volunteers that the Oregon Symphony has in support of the Symphony's
mission," he added.
Among Harris' duties will be serving as a liaison with the Symphony's Women's
Association and Associates volunteer groups; establishing a core of office
volunteers; recruiting new groups of volunteers; and providing staff support
to the Centennial Celebration Steering Committee.
Philadelphia Orchestra Receives Major Gift for Academy
The Pew Charitable Trusts announced on September 29 that it was pledging
a donation of $7.5 million to the Philadelphia Orchestra's proposed renovation
of the Academy of Music.
The announcement follows months of controversy about the proposed renovations.
The original plan, which would have cost $44 million, was widely viewed
as too radical and was criticized by preservationists, other arts groups
who use the hall, and the National Park Service, which threatened to recommend
that the hall be removed from the list of National Historic Landmarks. Preservationists
complained that the renovation, which would have added a large acoustical
dish over the stage - nicknamed the "mother ship" - as well as
movable opera boxes in the stage wings, would have ruined the 19th century
ambience of the hall, while the Opera Company of Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania
Ballet claimed that the renovations would have made it virtually impossible
for them to use the facility. Complicating the issue was the Philadelphia
Orchestra's ongoing campaign to raise $120 million to build its own concert
hall.
The new renovation proposal announced by the Philadelphia Orchestra is considerably
more modest than the first, and focuses on the building's mechanical systems,
backstage work, and a new onstage shell that the orchestra claims will enhance
the quality of sound for the opera and ballet as well. The proposal is estimated
to cost $27 million.
The gift from the Pew Charitable Trusts is tied to a requirement that the
orchestra raise another $10 million in endowment funds.
Another major gift supporting the renovation, made by Walter Annenberg,
will apparently survive the change of plans, although orchestra management
says that it has not received formal notification that the $10 million gift
is still forthcoming.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Halloween without Bald Mountain?
Violinist Joshua Bell and writer and radio personality Garrison Keillor
will appear at a Halloween concert given by the Philadelphia Orchestra with
assistant conductor Andre Raphael Smith. The concert will feature Moussorgky's
"Pictures at an Exhibition," Ravel's "Tzigane," and
Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven."
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the musicians may appear in costume,
but unfortunately (given the wide range of plausible disguises that orchestra
musicians might assume) does not report what costumes are under consideration.
Given the rather surprising absence of Moussorgsky's "Night on Bald
Mountain," that staple of scary music programs, it would appear that
the musicians will not be required to dress up as devils at an orgy.
Savannah Symphony: Strike Continues
Mike Brubacher of the Savannah Symphony reports:
After negotiations between our union and the symphony society failed to
reach agreement Saturday, September 3rd, we were forced to make the difficult
decision that going back to work under the conditions and wages that were
offered was not in our best interest. So on September 5th, Labor Day, we
took to the picket line. It is very hard work and for some of us this is
the second strike against the symphony society since 1990. The principal
issues at stake are wages and health insurance benefits; concessions demanded
on leave provisions and other working conditions; and management's refusal
to remove certain contract language which allows the Society to label any
of our outside activities, musical or otherwise, as a conflict of interest
with the orchestra. Does your employer make such threats to meddle in your
private affairs? Our orchestra employs 38 full-time musicians and approximately
150 freelance musicians from around the Southeast on per-service contracts.
With a budget last year of $2,050,000, the symphony advertises itself as
a rare model of financial turn-around in the orchestra world, running in
the black for the past 5 years and increasing revenue nearly 50%. Yet the
wage increase they offer would only raise the weekly section salary by $1.54
and freelance musicians would only receive $6.25 more for a typical 5-service
subscription concert. Does that seem generous to you?
We need your help. The Orchestra Players of Savannah have recently published
a cookbook, A SYMPHONY OF SWEETS. This collection of our favorite dessert
recipes also features recipes from several popular Savannah restaurants.
Please consider an order to show your support of our struggle. Thank you.
(A SYMPHONY OF SWEETS can be ordered from:
A Symphony of Sweets
339 Kensington Drive
Savannah, GA 31405.
Please make your check payable to OPS. All proceeds from the sale of this
book go to the Health & Welfare Fund of the Orchestra Players of Savannah)
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