Indianapolis--locked out.
No apparent end in sight.
Atlanta--locked out.
Musicians cave on $5.2 million in concessions.
Minneapolis--locked out.
Management unwilling to talk. On a much better note, former conductor Stanislaw Skrowaczewski will lead members of the orchestra in an October 16 (the original starting date for the new season) concert, to be held at the Convention Center.
Richmond--
players reject management's offer (7% wage cut). Players continue to perform.
Jacksonville--
on the brink. Musicians continue season on a "play and talk" basis.
Mitt Romney--
threatens assassination of Big Bird.
A recent story in the
Chicago Tribune reports that the vaulted CSO--coming off a "micro strike" by its players--may be in for financial troubles down the road. The organization is apparently carrying a large debt load, due to the 1997 renovation of the Symphony Center, combined with operating deficits that are expected to reach over one million dollars this year. Lest this outstanding organization be forced to go the way of the orchestras in Detroit (which will take years to recover from horrible management decisions related to facilities) or Philadelphia (crawling out from under Chapter 11 bankruptcy), the time is now for management to take hold of runaway expenditures.
There's much more, but--to say the least--our culture is in big trouble....
