DOS Orchestra 016 - 11-October-94

News from the world of professional orchestras.
Copyright 1994, International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians

Topics

Eureka Symphony: Cellist Quits over Detention of Wolf

Eureka (California) Symphony principal 'cellist Anne Conrad-Antoville has resigned over a dispute about an upcoming performance of Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf." She described the work as a piece that teaches children "to hate and fear wolves and to applaud a hunter who kills a wolf." Conductor Kenneth Hannaford disagreed, saying that the work was "simply a piece that children enjoy and is educational," and that Conrad-Antoville's stance was "simply political correctness gone haywire."

Florida Philharmonic: CD Wins International Acclaim

The Florida Philharmonic's recent recording of the Mahler Symphony #1 with music director James Judd was chosen "Best Recording of the Month" by Britain's Stereophile Magazine, while several other publications rated the recording quite highly. Fanfare Magazine compared the recording favorably to those of Bernstein Kubelik, while CD Review wrote that "any fears that the Florida Philharmonic might turn out to be a provincial orchestra are happily misplaced... this is a very good orchestra."

Lincoln Center: Critic to Run Summer Festival

John Rockwell, arts critic for the New York Times, has been appointed by Lincoln Center as director of a new summer performance festival, while Nigel Redden, executive director of the Santa Fe Opera, has been appointed festival consultant to assist with programming and production.

Nathan Leventhal, president of Lincoln Center, said of the appointments "because the new festival will feature both the classical tradition and contemporary performance, I can think of no one more qualified that John Rockwell, whose intimate familiarity with the entire spectrum of the performing arts is unique... in addition, Nigel Redden will bring extensive expertise in developing and mounting multidisciplinary festivals to the team."

Rockwell has worked for the New York Times since 1972, and has served as chief rock critic, as classical music editor, and as the Times' European cultural correspondent. He has also written several books on music. He is a graduate of Harvard University and the University of California at Berkeley.

Before coming to Santa Fe, Redden was general manager of the Spoleto Festival until losing a battle with founder Gian Carlo Menotti over the festival's artistic direction. He had also been with the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Summer programming at Lincoln Center was considered to be in a state of flux even before the announcement. There has been considerable uncertainty over the future of the Mostly Mozart Festival, while the New York Philharmonic, whose major perfoming venue during the winter season is Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, is the largest American orchestra without a permanent summer performing venue.

Lyric Opera Cleveland: Executive Director Resigns

Michael McConnell, executive director of Lyric Opera Cleveland, has announced his resignation as of November 30. In a written statement, he wrote that the administrative requirements of the position were "not consistent with my personal artistic goals at this time."

McConnell will remain with the Cleveland Institute of Music as head of the opera department. He had been with Lyric Opera Cleveland since 1984.

Minnesota Orchestra: On Strike

The musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra went on strike on Oct. 7 in a dispute over a new collective bargaining agreement. The previous agreement expired on September 30 and efforts to reach a new one have stalled over the issue of compensation. Management and musicians have reportedly agreed that the first year of the new agreement would include a wage freeze, but have not been able to reach agreement over increases in subsequent seasons.

Three concerts have already been canceled. Management said that that performances would be canceled one week at a time for the duration of the dispute.

The Minnesota Orchestra is currently in the middle of what has been an extremely successful drive to double the size of their endowment from $50 million to $100 million.

St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Ends Rough Year in the Black

The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the only full-time chamber orchestra in the U.S., announced at its annual meeting on October 5 that the orchestra ran a surplus of $362,704 for the 1993-94 fiscal year, after having run a deficit the previous year of $975,000. The accumulated deficit has been reduced to $1.25 million on a total budget of $6.93 million. Expenses for the season were $6,358,219, down from $7,180,603 for the previous year, while contributions totaled $3,334,777 and earned revenue was $3,690,397.

Last fall, during a very bitter labor dispute, the board of the SPCO threatened to declare bankruptcy. The SPCO musicians agreed to eliminate 6 weeks of their 40-week season, but did not agree to management's demands that the SPCO merge with the Ordway Music Theater and force the disbanding of the Minnesota Opera orchestra. After the dispute was settled, Minnesota Public Radio sponsored the most successful radiothon in orchestra history. The 35-hour show, which featured Garrison Keillor in two performances with the orchestra, raised over $700,00.

SPCO President Brent Assink, who took over the organization in February, said "people have been extremely generous. We had a lot of different ways for people to give money to us, and they did." In addition to the radiothon, he cited the $2.5 million annual fund drive and a special 35th anniversary fund drive. He said "we are getting to where we want to. The staff is up to almost full strength, our cash flow is good, and we have a long-range plan. Our task for now is to execute the plan, and for that, 1994-95 will be a crucial year."

Three new members were appointed to the board, including John B. Davis Jr., former president of Macalester College, who served as interim SPCO president after the departure of former president and CEO William Vickery for the Florida Philharmonic in August 1993 and before Assink's arrival in February 1994.

San Diego Symphony Reaches New Labor Agreement

The musicians of the San Diego Symphony ratified a new three-year labor agreement on October 5. The agreement restores compensation that had been sacrificed by the musicians in a series of contract renegotiations in previous seasons due to the orchestra's poor financial condition. It provides for a season of 36 weeks in the first year, 37 in the second year, and 38 in the last year, with minimum weekly salaries of $835 in the first year increasing to $900 in the last year. By contrast, last season was 33 weeks and the minimum weekly salary was $750 for most of the season.

Other highlights of the new agreement include seniority pay, rotated vacations for the musicians, long-term disability insurance for the musicians (the staff already had this benefit), and an increase in management's contribution to the musicians' pension fund. There are also provisions providing for increased flexibility in scheduling services, including one permitting the orchestra to more easily perform at the California Center for the Arts in neighboring Escondido. Michael Tiknis, executive director of the symphony, said "this element of the contract in fact establishes Escondido as a second home for the orchestra. It allows us to perform there as easily as in our home, Orchestra Hall."

The budget of the San Diego Symphony for the fiscal year just ended was $7.56 million. Tiknis said he expects the audited report to show a balanced budget "or very near. We may even had a small surplus. Last year, there was about $300,000 [of surplus], which we were able to apply to accumulated debt." Symphony Board President Tom Morgan said "we're excited and challenged at the same time. I think that leads to a supercharged environment for our community where the orchestra's concerned. We're right on the cutting edge and that's what I like."

The negotiations marked a change from a past pattern of very hard concessionary bargaining and poor relations between San Diego Symphony musicians and management, the lowpoint of which was the full-year lockout the musicians suffered in the mid-80's. Liza Hirsch Du Brul, lead negotiator for the musicians, said "the negotiations just completed were characterized for the first time in the ten years that I have been associated with them by a genuine sense of collaboration bent on achieving the long-term agreement that the parties needed."
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