I hate to say I told you so, but………. I told you so. Now what?
Months ago this blog broke the news about the contentious goings on at the Minnesota Orchestra. I predicted then that this would culminate in a lockout/strike and that’s exactly what has happened. The surprise of the day, though, is that the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra is in play/talk mode. Maybe there’s a little sanity left in the Minnesota classical music scene.
It should be crystal clear to anyone who has been following this that the management of the Minnesota Orchestra had no interest in negotiating in the first place. Everything about this, from the timing of the Orchestra Hall renovation right through the rejection of the suggestion of both play/talk and arbitration, has been designed to put the musicians in an untenable position. The unfortunate coincidence of the economic collapse and the over-generous contract of 2008 has made this confluence of events possible.
The whole thing smacks of impersonality. There is no feeling in this. Everyone on the payroll is now just to be considered a cog in the wheel, and the output of the machine is supposed to be great music. The “Artist Entrance” should be renamed the “Servants Entrance.” That’s certainly the gist of the message from management. No matter how bad the situation is there (and it’s bad and it has been bad for several years; denial ain’t just a river in Egypt) this is no way to go about stabilizing this institution.
The only good thing about this and the concomitant situations in Atlanta and Indianapolis is that musicians seem to have suddenly woken up to the fact we live in the information/social media age. The number of facebook pages that have sprouted up recently, the number of free concerts held, the outreach attempted – perhaps finally we have gotten the message that without the support of the public our livelihoods will disappear. It is my fervent hope that these sojourns into true public engagement will continue long after the strikes/lockouts have faded into memory. I would urge every musician in every orchestra in the US to pay attention and start doing this now. 3 years from now, when you are about to be locked out, is too late.
Of course, for the M.O. it’s already too late. The Corporation is in charge. The musicians are looked upon as drones, and anyone who dares accept a job there …. assuming any jobs exist in the future … will be assimilated. No recourse for you. Just sit down, shut up, do what you’re told, and make beautiful music!
Right. So long, Minnesota Orchestra. It’s been great knowing you and I’ve been damn proud to be part of your history.
Also a factor: management apparently never hired stagehands for this season, either.
nice.
That’s because they had to use the staff of the Convention Center. Hall renovation plans have been in place for 6 years, before the generous contracts of 2007/2008, so don’t use that as a counter argument. I feel horrible for the musicians, but let’s keep facts and emotion seperate.
The orchestra hall stage crew is under contract til 12/31/12.We would be working the season that was never supposed to be.
Dave McKoskey,steward IATSE 13,orchestra hall