CANCELLED CONCERTS AND CORONAVIRUS - MARCH 20, 2020
Greetings! As our followers may have seen elsewhere, many of our concerts have been either cancelled or postponed. At this point these cancellations extend until April 12th. We, the ATL Symphony Musicians, are deeply saddened that we cannot deliver healing and respite through music in our normal fashion, but recognize the responsibility each of us has at this time to play our part in reducing the reach of the Coronavirus and the disease it causes.
Though we are not able to connect with you through normal means, we are working on ways to keep the music going for all of our devoted audience and supporters. We want to help out in the way we know best, but we also ask for your help. Arts organizations and non-profits are greatly suffering at this time. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in particular is facing situations unprecedented in its 75 year history.
So, at this time we urge you to consider donating your already-purchased ticket(s) to the ASO.
By donating your tickets in lieu of a refund, you are providing vital support for the music and the musicians that inspire and connect our community.
Music brings together and binds us as human beings. Whether in person or in spirit, our listeners’ support is our lifeblood. Please consider donating your tickets back to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and receive a donation receipt by emailing [email protected].
Thank you so much in advance!
2020-21 ASO Virtual Stage Memberships
We are thrilled to be back performing at Symphony Hall! As you might have guessed, things look a little different both onstage and from the audience, due to procedural changes because of Covid-19. While we can’t have a live audience yet, we encourage you all to become members of The Virtual Stage, our new online concert platform.
Choose any 3 online concerts from our reimagined Fall season for $48, or all 6 concerts for $96! Becoming a Member is fast and easy, and you get great perks! CLICK HERE for more information.
Six exciting concerts remain in our reimagined Fall Season:
Mozart and More - October 15, 2020
Principal Cello Rainer Eudeikis Performs Haydn - October 22, 2020
Principal Bassoon Andrew Brady Performs Hertel - November 12, 2020
Robert Spano Conducts Ravel - November 28, 2020
Wagner and Beethoven - December 10, 2020
SPECIAL: Talent Development Program Alumnus, Double-Bassist Xavier Foley Joins the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra - November 19, 2020
We are thrilled to be back performing at Symphony Hall! As you might have guessed, things look a little different both onstage and from the audience, due to procedural changes because of Covid-19. While we can’t have a live audience yet, we encourage you all to become members of The Virtual Stage, our new online concert platform.
Choose any 3 online concerts from our reimagined Fall season for $48, or all 6 concerts for $96! Becoming a Member is fast and easy, and you get great perks! CLICK HERE for more information.
Six exciting concerts remain in our reimagined Fall Season:
Mozart and More - October 15, 2020
Principal Cello Rainer Eudeikis Performs Haydn - October 22, 2020
Principal Bassoon Andrew Brady Performs Hertel - November 12, 2020
Robert Spano Conducts Ravel - November 28, 2020
Wagner and Beethoven - December 10, 2020
SPECIAL: Talent Development Program Alumnus, Double-Bassist Xavier Foley Joins the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra - November 19, 2020
The Atlanta Symphony Musicians were locked out on the morning of September 7th, 2014. This means that, after decades of securing a financially feasible way of life, and two years after taking deep concessionary cuts to salary, weeks of work, and number of musicians in the orchestra, they are once again being asked for more.
Here is what that you can do to help the Atlanta Symphony Musicians during this difficult time.
5. JOIN Save Our Symphony Atlanta @http://saveoursymphonyatlanta.com/ and on FACEBOOK
Description
Thank you for stopping by our page! This is a place for up-to-date links to matters that are of interest to you, the ASO audience and supporters!
We are an advocacy group for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Musicians and the ASO Chorus. We want to hear your voice, so please comment and let us know how you can help.
We do not take donations at this site. If you would like to help support or donate to the ASO Musicians, you may do so by going to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Players' Association website here:
ATLSymphonyMusicians.com
Description
Thank you for stopping by our page! This is a place for up-to-date links to matters that are of interest to you, the ASO audience and supporters!
We are an advocacy group for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Musicians and the ASO Chorus. We want to hear your voice, so please comment and let us know how you can help.
We do not take donations at this site. If you would like to help support or donate to the ASO Musicians, you may do so by going to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Players' Association website here:
ATLSymphonyMusicians.com
ATL SYMPHONY MUSICIANS NEWSLETTER | NOVEMBER 2017
Greetings from the ATL Symphony Musicians! We hope this finds you well, having enjoyed Thanksgiving with friends and family! We have much to be thankful for as we look back at the last three years. The hard working ASO staff, ASO Board, and a supportive Woodruff Arts Center have been collaborating to put the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra on a path of restoration. The Musicians’ Endowment Campaign raised over $25 million in less than two years to restore 11 positions lost in 2014 due to severe cost cuts. We all anticipate hopefully returning the orchestra to a strength of 88 musicians by the 2018-19 season, pending results of upcoming auditions. We are also very grateful to current and new donors who have supported the ASO with the understanding that investing in the ASO is a worthy cause. The ASO musicians have also been working harder than ever, performing wonderful concerts from classical to movie scores and popular music. It is exciting to see the attendance for these performances significantly grow. As a result of everyone joining forces, the ASO has produced three consecutive fiscal years of balanced budgets with surpluses to boot.
The financial stabilization of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra was absolutely critical in ensuring the future of the organization. As we look forward, there remains much to do as we work to regain our position among major American orchestras. We must ensure that the artistic growth of our organization is continuously nurtured through the quality of the programming we are able to offer, the guest artists and guest conductors we are able to work with, and the restoration of competitiveness with other orchestras as we search for talent on stage. The ability to attract and retain the best musicians is crucial in building the orchestra for the future.
This newsletter shares the news of two key members of the orchestra who have announced their retirements. Principal Cello Christopher Rex and Principal Viola Reid Harris have devoted many decades of their lives in making this orchestra a wonderful ensemble for our community to enjoy and to be proud of. Their intense dedication over many years has been critical in building the ASO into a world-renowned ensemble. We are so thankful for their service to us and their sharing of their love of music over the years. In this issue you will also meet the newest members of the ASO who are so important in the rebuilding of our orchestra.
We hope to share holiday spirit and joy with you this December in Symphony Hall, and thank you for your past and future generous support of the orchestra.
On behalf of all of us,
ATL Symphony Musicians
The financial stabilization of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra was absolutely critical in ensuring the future of the organization. As we look forward, there remains much to do as we work to regain our position among major American orchestras. We must ensure that the artistic growth of our organization is continuously nurtured through the quality of the programming we are able to offer, the guest artists and guest conductors we are able to work with, and the restoration of competitiveness with other orchestras as we search for talent on stage. The ability to attract and retain the best musicians is crucial in building the orchestra for the future.
This newsletter shares the news of two key members of the orchestra who have announced their retirements. Principal Cello Christopher Rex and Principal Viola Reid Harris have devoted many decades of their lives in making this orchestra a wonderful ensemble for our community to enjoy and to be proud of. Their intense dedication over many years has been critical in building the ASO into a world-renowned ensemble. We are so thankful for their service to us and their sharing of their love of music over the years. In this issue you will also meet the newest members of the ASO who are so important in the rebuilding of our orchestra.
We hope to share holiday spirit and joy with you this December in Symphony Hall, and thank you for your past and future generous support of the orchestra.
On behalf of all of us,
ATL Symphony Musicians
ATL SYMPHONY MUSICIANS
We are the 88 professional musicians who make up the internationally renowned, 28 Grammy award-winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. We are cultural ambassadors proudly providing Atlanta and Georgia with musical performances of the highest artistic caliber.
The ATL Symphony Musicians have ratified a new four year agreement with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra management. We are proud to have an agreement that includes a fixed complement of 88 musicians, steady pay increases and a new health insurance policy that contains an employer contribution to an HSA.
We could not have weathered these difficult times without the incredible support from our donors and advocates. We have felt the love from all our supporters here in the Atlanta area, as well as stretching across the USA and beyond, and we look forward to everyone's continued support, for our work is certainly not done.
Please come to Symphony Hall to hear great symphonic music by your Atlanta Symphony Orchestra!
We are the 88 professional musicians who make up the internationally renowned, 28 Grammy award-winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. We are cultural ambassadors proudly providing Atlanta and Georgia with musical performances of the highest artistic caliber.
The ATL Symphony Musicians have ratified a new four year agreement with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra management. We are proud to have an agreement that includes a fixed complement of 88 musicians, steady pay increases and a new health insurance policy that contains an employer contribution to an HSA.
We could not have weathered these difficult times without the incredible support from our donors and advocates. We have felt the love from all our supporters here in the Atlanta area, as well as stretching across the USA and beyond, and we look forward to everyone's continued support, for our work is certainly not done.
Please come to Symphony Hall to hear great symphonic music by your Atlanta Symphony Orchestra!
The ASO Protests on Peachtree from Jim Zorn on Vimeo.
Remarks to ASO Board of Directors and WAC Leadership
By Paul Murphy, President of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Players Association
November 17, 2014
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The tragically delayed Opening of the ASO’s 70th Season last week could not have been a more celebratory or exciting event -- two completely sold out concerts with our beloved Music Director and Chorus, excellent soloists, including the incomparable David Coucheron, and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony! The audience’s enthusiasm almost brought the house down. The mood and message could not have been more in contrast to that of the months that preceded it…perhaps the darkest hour for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, whose house was almost brought down in a very different and rancorous way that I think we all realize could and should have been avoided.
I have been thinking these last few days how reminiscent our situation has been to the kind of “near miss” which many of us have experienced at some point in our lives -- a close call on the highway; narrowly averted danger to a child; recovery from a personal near death experience; or pulling back just before making a terribly wrong split-second decision. The moments immediately following such an event fill us with an overwhelming sense of relief, and then gratitude for what we have and almost, unthinkably, lost. We have been to that brink with the ASO. We almost lost something incredibly precious to each of us in this room, a source of entertainment and enlightenment for tens of thousands of music lovers of all ages, backgrounds and social standing that it has taken many decades to build.
We are grateful for you and for what we have, and know you share our hope for better days. We also know that that is not enough – now, or ever again! We all need to commit to making it better -- our individual and corporate fundraising, our marketing and programming of concert offerings and new revenue opportunities that will excite our public, fostering broad awareness of the value our ASO brings to our citizens and to the stature of Atlanta as a major metropolitan and cultural center, communication within every level of our organization, and, key to it all, the vital task of finding the successful, knowledgeable, dynamic leader with the experience to advocate for and support our art form, to be the ASO’s next CEO.
We are truly thrilled by the public showing of support for Atlanta having a great Symphony Orchestra, and by the knowledge that we can achieve more than we have let ourselves believe possible. It will take all of us -- working, questioning, and advocating together, while the Orchestra is making great music -- to bring forth from the depths of the sacrifice and struggle that every one of us in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Players Association has experienced during the last two years this new day for the ASO.
Together we can be an Atlanta Symphony that will be an even better ambassador, and brighter cultural star shining on Atlanta and the Southeast.
By Paul Murphy, President of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Players Association
November 17, 2014
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The tragically delayed Opening of the ASO’s 70th Season last week could not have been a more celebratory or exciting event -- two completely sold out concerts with our beloved Music Director and Chorus, excellent soloists, including the incomparable David Coucheron, and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony! The audience’s enthusiasm almost brought the house down. The mood and message could not have been more in contrast to that of the months that preceded it…perhaps the darkest hour for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, whose house was almost brought down in a very different and rancorous way that I think we all realize could and should have been avoided.
I have been thinking these last few days how reminiscent our situation has been to the kind of “near miss” which many of us have experienced at some point in our lives -- a close call on the highway; narrowly averted danger to a child; recovery from a personal near death experience; or pulling back just before making a terribly wrong split-second decision. The moments immediately following such an event fill us with an overwhelming sense of relief, and then gratitude for what we have and almost, unthinkably, lost. We have been to that brink with the ASO. We almost lost something incredibly precious to each of us in this room, a source of entertainment and enlightenment for tens of thousands of music lovers of all ages, backgrounds and social standing that it has taken many decades to build.
We are grateful for you and for what we have, and know you share our hope for better days. We also know that that is not enough – now, or ever again! We all need to commit to making it better -- our individual and corporate fundraising, our marketing and programming of concert offerings and new revenue opportunities that will excite our public, fostering broad awareness of the value our ASO brings to our citizens and to the stature of Atlanta as a major metropolitan and cultural center, communication within every level of our organization, and, key to it all, the vital task of finding the successful, knowledgeable, dynamic leader with the experience to advocate for and support our art form, to be the ASO’s next CEO.
We are truly thrilled by the public showing of support for Atlanta having a great Symphony Orchestra, and by the knowledge that we can achieve more than we have let ourselves believe possible. It will take all of us -- working, questioning, and advocating together, while the Orchestra is making great music -- to bring forth from the depths of the sacrifice and struggle that every one of us in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Players Association has experienced during the last two years this new day for the ASO.
Together we can be an Atlanta Symphony that will be an even better ambassador, and brighter cultural star shining on Atlanta and the Southeast.
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/1/5/13150234/1451768549.png)
Save Our Symphony Atlanta is a non-profit citizens advocacy group, dedicated to the preservation of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, in perpetuity. Please follow them and encourage all your friends who support the ATL Symphony Musicians to follow us as soon as possible. This is critically important!
Follow SOSA on FACEBOOK
Follow SOSA on TWITTER
Follow SOSA on FACEBOOK
Follow SOSA on TWITTER
Happy New Year From the ATL Symphony Musicians December 31, 2015
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/1/5/13150234/323514.jpg)
Dear Supporters,
As 2015 draws to a quick close, all of us would like to wish you a healthy, happy, and prosperous new year ahead. This year has brought many positive changes to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and we look forward to building on these successes as we enter 2016. We would like to thank all of the wonderful supporters in our community and across the country, our ASO Board and WAC Leadership, and the ASO staff including the team running ASO Presents which plays a vital role in the successful financial foundation of our organization. Working together, we have been able to restore many vital positions in the orchestra, increase attendance at our concerts, and produce a balanced budget for the first time in many years. Much work is still ahead for us as we enter 2016, and we are on the right path towards continued sustainability and restorative growth.
Please join us for fabulous concerts in January, and if you would like to make a year-end tax-deductible donation to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, you may do so at www.aso.org.
Happy New Year!
The Musicians of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
As 2015 draws to a quick close, all of us would like to wish you a healthy, happy, and prosperous new year ahead. This year has brought many positive changes to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and we look forward to building on these successes as we enter 2016. We would like to thank all of the wonderful supporters in our community and across the country, our ASO Board and WAC Leadership, and the ASO staff including the team running ASO Presents which plays a vital role in the successful financial foundation of our organization. Working together, we have been able to restore many vital positions in the orchestra, increase attendance at our concerts, and produce a balanced budget for the first time in many years. Much work is still ahead for us as we enter 2016, and we are on the right path towards continued sustainability and restorative growth.
Please join us for fabulous concerts in January, and if you would like to make a year-end tax-deductible donation to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, you may do so at www.aso.org.
Happy New Year!
The Musicians of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Donations go directly to the ASO Players' Association fund to help defray expenses related to the 2014 lockout, and to assist with emergency hardship funding for our musicians, but are not tax deductible.
February 4, 2015 | HAPPY 70TH ANNIVERSARY TO THE ASO AND JANE LITTLE
February 4, 2015, marks not only the 70th anniversary of the very first performance of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, but also Jane Little's 70th anniversary as a member of the ASO bass section. Just in case that wasn't a momentous enough occasion, February 2 was her birthday as well! Our own Michael Kurth arranged HAPPY BIRTHDAY in her honor like you've never heard before that we played at the beginning of the first rehearsal this week. Here's to Jane! Happy Birthday to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's very own Jane Little! Please join us in thanking Jane for her inspiring dedication to the Orchestra.
Assistant Principal Bass Jane Little was a 1945 charter member of the original Atlanta Youth Symphony Orchestra, the forerunner of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. She joined after two years of studying bass in high school and has since played under all four of the Orchestra's music directors as well as guest conductors including Igor Stravinsky, Aaron Copland, Pierre Monteux, Leopold Stokowski, Sir John Barbirolli, and James Levine.
An Atlanta native, she attended the University of Georgia and studied for four years with the principal bass player of the Chicago Symphony. She was Principal Bass with the Theater of the Stars orchestra for 15 years, and has played extensively with regional ballet and opera companies, as well as in touring performances of the American Ballet Theatre, Covent Garden Ballet, and Boris Goldovsky Opera Theatre.
Ms. Little's instrument is a rare Carlo Giuseppi Testore bass (ca. 1705).
An Atlanta native, she attended the University of Georgia and studied for four years with the principal bass player of the Chicago Symphony. She was Principal Bass with the Theater of the Stars orchestra for 15 years, and has played extensively with regional ballet and opera companies, as well as in touring performances of the American Ballet Theatre, Covent Garden Ballet, and Boris Goldovsky Opera Theatre.
Ms. Little's instrument is a rare Carlo Giuseppi Testore bass (ca. 1705).
ASO 2015/16!
It's here! Our 2015/16 season has finally been announced, and we are excited for what will surely be a blockbuster year.
2016 would have been Robert Shaw's 100th birthday, and we'll be celebrating his legacy in grand fashion--the Verdi Requiem, Beethoven Missa Solemnis, and a celebration concert of some of Mr. Shaw's favorite works culminate in our performance of the Brahms German Requiem in Atlanta and then Carnegie Hall on his birthday in April. Choose "Robert Shaw Legacy Celebration" to get your subscription to these concerts. Single tickets go on sale in August.
Buy your tickets now.
It's here! Our 2015/16 season has finally been announced, and we are excited for what will surely be a blockbuster year.
2016 would have been Robert Shaw's 100th birthday, and we'll be celebrating his legacy in grand fashion--the Verdi Requiem, Beethoven Missa Solemnis, and a celebration concert of some of Mr. Shaw's favorite works culminate in our performance of the Brahms German Requiem in Atlanta and then Carnegie Hall on his birthday in April. Choose "Robert Shaw Legacy Celebration" to get your subscription to these concerts. Single tickets go on sale in August.
Buy your tickets now.
World's Favourite Orchestra 2014 @Bachtrack.com
WE VOTED ASO! FOURTH PLACE FINISH!
WE VOTED ASO! FOURTH PLACE FINISH!
ASO on verge of labor contract | November 8, 2014
Musicians reach tentative deal after 10 months of talks.
By Howard Pousner [email protected]
After 10 months of discordant contract negotiations between Atlanta Symphony Orchestra management and musicians, including a two-month player lockout, resolution is at hand.
The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, which restarted stalled talks a month ago, released a statement late Friday afternoon announcing a tentative accord between the two sides.
“The parties have been faced with complex issues and some very tough choices, which they were dedicated to resolving,” said FMCS acting director Allison Beck. “This tentative agreement will help ensure the continuing viability of one of the premier cultural institutions of the South.”
Concerts are likely to resume Nov. 20-23.
Though the statement did not provide details of the four-year pact, a source close to the negotiations confirmed that the sides compromised on the biggest issue, the size of the orchestra. The source did not want to be identified because terms are pending approval.
Assuming both sides OK the contract, the ASO, which was trimmed from 95 to 88 full-time players in the 2012 collective bargaining agreement, will start the delayed 70th anniversary season with the 77 remaining musicians.
That would be the contracted number for the second year, 2015-16, as well, but management would have the goal of raising the “complement” to 81 full-time players. The administration would contractually commit to 84 full-time positions by the end of 2016-17 and a minimum of 88 in the fourth and final year.
When the second musician lockout in two years began on Sept. 7, the musicians had proposed a complement of 84 in year one, rising to 86, 88 and 89 in subsequent years.
Without committing to specific numbers, management had proposed a unique arrangement before the lockout in which it would negotiate with music director Robert Spano and musician representatives on whether and how individual musician positions would be filled as they became open. In cases where there was not a consensus, the administration would have had the final say.
Pointing out that fixed complements are set in the contract of every major American orchestra, the musicians wanted no part of that.
Musicians reach tentative deal after 10 months of talks.
By Howard Pousner [email protected]
After 10 months of discordant contract negotiations between Atlanta Symphony Orchestra management and musicians, including a two-month player lockout, resolution is at hand.
The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, which restarted stalled talks a month ago, released a statement late Friday afternoon announcing a tentative accord between the two sides.
“The parties have been faced with complex issues and some very tough choices, which they were dedicated to resolving,” said FMCS acting director Allison Beck. “This tentative agreement will help ensure the continuing viability of one of the premier cultural institutions of the South.”
Concerts are likely to resume Nov. 20-23.
Though the statement did not provide details of the four-year pact, a source close to the negotiations confirmed that the sides compromised on the biggest issue, the size of the orchestra. The source did not want to be identified because terms are pending approval.
Assuming both sides OK the contract, the ASO, which was trimmed from 95 to 88 full-time players in the 2012 collective bargaining agreement, will start the delayed 70th anniversary season with the 77 remaining musicians.
That would be the contracted number for the second year, 2015-16, as well, but management would have the goal of raising the “complement” to 81 full-time players. The administration would contractually commit to 84 full-time positions by the end of 2016-17 and a minimum of 88 in the fourth and final year.
When the second musician lockout in two years began on Sept. 7, the musicians had proposed a complement of 84 in year one, rising to 86, 88 and 89 in subsequent years.
Without committing to specific numbers, management had proposed a unique arrangement before the lockout in which it would negotiate with music director Robert Spano and musician representatives on whether and how individual musician positions would be filled as they became open. In cases where there was not a consensus, the administration would have had the final say.
Pointing out that fixed complements are set in the contract of every major American orchestra, the musicians wanted no part of that.
"Another crossroads in Atlanta Symphony negotiations comes..." --Howard Pousner - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution | November 4, 2014
As they approach a negotiating session with a federal mediator on Wednesday, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra management and players are closer to a deal than they have been during a two-month musician lockout or in eight months of talks that preceded it.
The question, with a tremendous amount riding on it, is if the two sides are close enough to finally reach accord on a collective bargaining agreement.
If they can, the music will return on Nov. 13 and 15 with maestro Robert Spano leading the orchestra and ASO chorus in Vaughan Williams’ “A Sea Symphony.”
If they can’t, expect additional cancellations on top of the eight concerts management called off in late September that would have launched the 70th anniversary season.
There has been little cause for optimism in this extended, ugly dispute that has commanded national and international media attention. But the fact that the two sides are preparing to talk — through U.S. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service mediator Richard Giacolone — can only be taken as positive.
+ Another crossroads in Atlanta Symphony negotiations comes Wednesday photo
Paul Murphy, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra associate principal viola and president of the ASO Players’ Association. CONTRIBUTED BY ASO
The negotiating team for the ASO and its parent nonprofit the Woodruff Arts Center (WAC) made a proposal on Oct. 24, to which the musicians countered Oct. 27. Management, which declined comment for this story as part of a news blackout requested by the mediator, didn’t outright reject it.
In fact, after further consideration late last week, it believed there was enough of a glimmer of hope to ask Giacolone, whom both sides praise for making progress in the imbroglio, to return to Atlanta and resume mediation. The musicians are primed to receive an updated offer, knowing that differences will remain.
The thorniest issue is the size of the orchestra going forward. The musicians’ full-time ranks were trimmed from 95 to 88 and salaries cut by an average of 15 percent in 2012 negotiations that led to a one-month lockout. When the ASO ran up its 12th consecutive year of deficits in fiscal 2014 (finishing $2 million in the red), leadership sought additional trims to the “complement.”
In its most recent proposal, management held that the number of full-time musicians for the 2014-15 season should be cut from 88 to the 76 players who remain (after defections, retirements and deaths). It said it would launch a major fund-raising campaign to endow musician chairs with the goal to rebuild the size of the orchestra up to as many as 90 players. That pledge, however, was not promised as part of the proposed four-year contract.
The ASO Players’ Association countered with a proposal of starting with 77 players and increasing the ranks incrementally to a minimum of 88 by the end of the 2017-18 season. The musicians are determined that required positions for the final two years be included in the contract.
“The issue of complement is and has been contractual for decades, just as a fixed complement is for every major American orchestra in their respective contracts,” Players’ Association president Paul Murphy said in an email to the AJC. “We are asking nothing except to retain our fixed complement of 88 in the contract and ask for best efforts to exceed that number as we try and climb back to our long-standing complement of 95 musicians.”
The musicians have said repeatedly throughout negotiations that further cuts to their ranks, requiring extensive use of part-time and fill-in players, would be a major setback to the sound of the 27-time Grammy-winning orchestra.
Richard Deane, who is playing this season for the New York Philharmonic as associate principal horn while officially on leave from the ASO, attempted to explain what’s at stake for his Atlanta colleagues. “We are a group, and the group is the thing,” Deane said. “We create something where the whole is so much greater than the sum of the parts. Maintaining the group, that’s where the magic is, that’s where Robert Spano (works his) genius.”
Pay is the other issue still to be resolved. Management has not changed its offer of a graduated 4.5 percent raise over the four years. The musicians have moved from proposing a graduated 15 percent raise to one closer to 10 percent.
In a statement released last Friday, the Players’ Association negotiating committee noted, “Every aspect of the Musicians’ proposal provides significant savings for the WAC/ASO, while keeping (the orchestra) on a narrow path toward desperately needed restoration.”
If management believed that the numbers in the players’ last proposal would lead to a balanced budget, Atlantans might already be celebrating the return of the city’s largest arts institution.
Instead, talks resume Wednesday — and continue Thursday if needed — in yet another stab at finding a shared path forward.
“We’re all just so hopeful for consensus,” Deane said. “I couldn’t even begin to hazard a guess about what will happen. Every turn seems like such a surprise.”
As they approach a negotiating session with a federal mediator on Wednesday, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra management and players are closer to a deal than they have been during a two-month musician lockout or in eight months of talks that preceded it.
The question, with a tremendous amount riding on it, is if the two sides are close enough to finally reach accord on a collective bargaining agreement.
If they can, the music will return on Nov. 13 and 15 with maestro Robert Spano leading the orchestra and ASO chorus in Vaughan Williams’ “A Sea Symphony.”
If they can’t, expect additional cancellations on top of the eight concerts management called off in late September that would have launched the 70th anniversary season.
There has been little cause for optimism in this extended, ugly dispute that has commanded national and international media attention. But the fact that the two sides are preparing to talk — through U.S. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service mediator Richard Giacolone — can only be taken as positive.
+ Another crossroads in Atlanta Symphony negotiations comes Wednesday photo
Paul Murphy, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra associate principal viola and president of the ASO Players’ Association. CONTRIBUTED BY ASO
The negotiating team for the ASO and its parent nonprofit the Woodruff Arts Center (WAC) made a proposal on Oct. 24, to which the musicians countered Oct. 27. Management, which declined comment for this story as part of a news blackout requested by the mediator, didn’t outright reject it.
In fact, after further consideration late last week, it believed there was enough of a glimmer of hope to ask Giacolone, whom both sides praise for making progress in the imbroglio, to return to Atlanta and resume mediation. The musicians are primed to receive an updated offer, knowing that differences will remain.
The thorniest issue is the size of the orchestra going forward. The musicians’ full-time ranks were trimmed from 95 to 88 and salaries cut by an average of 15 percent in 2012 negotiations that led to a one-month lockout. When the ASO ran up its 12th consecutive year of deficits in fiscal 2014 (finishing $2 million in the red), leadership sought additional trims to the “complement.”
In its most recent proposal, management held that the number of full-time musicians for the 2014-15 season should be cut from 88 to the 76 players who remain (after defections, retirements and deaths). It said it would launch a major fund-raising campaign to endow musician chairs with the goal to rebuild the size of the orchestra up to as many as 90 players. That pledge, however, was not promised as part of the proposed four-year contract.
The ASO Players’ Association countered with a proposal of starting with 77 players and increasing the ranks incrementally to a minimum of 88 by the end of the 2017-18 season. The musicians are determined that required positions for the final two years be included in the contract.
“The issue of complement is and has been contractual for decades, just as a fixed complement is for every major American orchestra in their respective contracts,” Players’ Association president Paul Murphy said in an email to the AJC. “We are asking nothing except to retain our fixed complement of 88 in the contract and ask for best efforts to exceed that number as we try and climb back to our long-standing complement of 95 musicians.”
The musicians have said repeatedly throughout negotiations that further cuts to their ranks, requiring extensive use of part-time and fill-in players, would be a major setback to the sound of the 27-time Grammy-winning orchestra.
Richard Deane, who is playing this season for the New York Philharmonic as associate principal horn while officially on leave from the ASO, attempted to explain what’s at stake for his Atlanta colleagues. “We are a group, and the group is the thing,” Deane said. “We create something where the whole is so much greater than the sum of the parts. Maintaining the group, that’s where the magic is, that’s where Robert Spano (works his) genius.”
Pay is the other issue still to be resolved. Management has not changed its offer of a graduated 4.5 percent raise over the four years. The musicians have moved from proposing a graduated 15 percent raise to one closer to 10 percent.
In a statement released last Friday, the Players’ Association negotiating committee noted, “Every aspect of the Musicians’ proposal provides significant savings for the WAC/ASO, while keeping (the orchestra) on a narrow path toward desperately needed restoration.”
If management believed that the numbers in the players’ last proposal would lead to a balanced budget, Atlantans might already be celebrating the return of the city’s largest arts institution.
Instead, talks resume Wednesday — and continue Thursday if needed — in yet another stab at finding a shared path forward.
“We’re all just so hopeful for consensus,” Deane said. “I couldn’t even begin to hazard a guess about what will happen. Every turn seems like such a surprise.”
Two sides in Atlanta Symphony dispute whether they’re heading into arbitration | September 28, 2014
By Howard Pousner
The two sides in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra labor dispute haven’t been able to agree on much as the musician lockout enters its fourth week. But the crossed signals reached a new level of confusion on Saturday night when the administration and players released contradictory statements about their acceptance — or lack thereof — of the help of a federal mediator to restart stalled negotiations.
Early Saturday evening, an Atlanta Symphony Orchestra spokesperson emailed media a release that said that management and the ASO Players’ Association have agreed to resume collective bargaining agreement discussions using federal mediator Allison Beck. The two sides have not talked since the musicians were locked out when a new collective bargaining agreement could not be reached by midnight Sept. 7.
“We are pleased that after weeks of an open offer, the musicians’ union has accepted mediation and we’re looking forward to getting back to the negotiating table,” ASO president and CEO Stanley Romanstein said in the statement. “We are ready to resolve our differences and start the ASO’s 70th anniversary season.”
Not so fast, leaders of the ASO Players’ Association responded in a statement of their own, issued just before midnight. That statement, signed by Players’ Association president Paul Murphy and vice president Daniel Laufer, said they had expressed interest in talking with Beck last Monday, to generally discuss questions about the mediation process, but had not heard from her and had not yet decided to participate.
“We received a formal request for mediation on Monday, September 22nd at 10:55am from WAC/ASO management,” the Players’ Association statement explained. “Three hours later, we accepted the suggestion to speak with Ms. Allison Beck, the Acting Director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, and were told that FMCS officials would be contacting us accordingly, which has not happened yet. …
“The musicians are happy to speak with FMCS Director Beck about pathways forward when she is able to be in touch with us,” the statement from ASO musicians Murphy and Laufer continued. “There is as yet no further agreement about the process.”
The two sides in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra labor dispute haven’t been able to agree on much as the musician lockout enters its fourth week. But the crossed signals reached a new level of confusion on Saturday night when the administration and players released contradictory statements about their acceptance — or lack thereof — of the help of a federal mediator to restart stalled negotiations.
Early Saturday evening, an Atlanta Symphony Orchestra spokesperson emailed media a release that said that management and the ASO Players’ Association have agreed to resume collective bargaining agreement discussions using federal mediator Allison Beck. The two sides have not talked since the musicians were locked out when a new collective bargaining agreement could not be reached by midnight Sept. 7.
“We are pleased that after weeks of an open offer, the musicians’ union has accepted mediation and we’re looking forward to getting back to the negotiating table,” ASO president and CEO Stanley Romanstein said in the statement. “We are ready to resolve our differences and start the ASO’s 70th anniversary season.”
Not so fast, leaders of the ASO Players’ Association responded in a statement of their own, issued just before midnight. That statement, signed by Players’ Association president Paul Murphy and vice president Daniel Laufer, said they had expressed interest in talking with Beck last Monday, to generally discuss questions about the mediation process, but had not heard from her and had not yet decided to participate.
“We received a formal request for mediation on Monday, September 22nd at 10:55am from WAC/ASO management,” the Players’ Association statement explained. “Three hours later, we accepted the suggestion to speak with Ms. Allison Beck, the Acting Director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, and were told that FMCS officials would be contacting us accordingly, which has not happened yet. …
“The musicians are happy to speak with FMCS Director Beck about pathways forward when she is able to be in touch with us,” the statement from ASO musicians Murphy and Laufer continued. “There is as yet no further agreement about the process.”
IMPORTANT NEWS! ROMANSTEIN RESIGNS
Contact:
Caroline Duffy
Jackson Spalding
404-724-2515 (o) or 404-713-2984 (c)
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Announces Resignation Of President Stanley Romanstein; Terry Neal Named Interim President
ATLANTA – The Board of Directors of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) today announced that Stanley Romanstein, Ph.D., has resigned as President and CEO of the Orchestra, effective immediately.
Following Dr. Romanstein’s decision, the Executive Committee of the ASO Board appointed Terry Neal, a current ASO Board member and a retired executive of The Coca-Cola Company, to serve as president of the ASO on an interim basis. Mr. Neal will manage the day-to-day operations of the Orchestra until a permanent replacement can be found. Dr. Romanstein will be available to the organization through the end of October to assure a smooth transition.
“I believe that my continued leadership of the ASO would be an impediment to our reaching a new labor agreement with the ASO’s musicians,” Dr. Romanstein said.
The previous collective bargaining agreement between the ASO and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Players Association expired September 6.
Karole Lloyd, chair of the Board of Directors of the Symphony, said, “The ASO Board would like to thank Stanley for all of his contributions to the Orchestra over the last four and half years. We appreciate the passion he has brought to advancing the mission of the ASO.”
Virginia Hepner, president and CEO of the Woodruff Arts Center, said that Dr. Romanstein’s resignation does not change the financial challenges facing the Symphony nor signal any shift in the key issues being addressed in the collective bargaining agreement process.
“The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is a treasured part of our community,” Ms. Hepner said. “We want to make sure it can continue to flourish in the future.
To do that, we need to find ways to broaden our base of patrons and supporters and address the deficits we’ve had for 12 consecutive years. All of us at the Arts Center are committed to working with the musicians to find a solution.”
Ms. Hepner urged the musicians to resume negotiations with the ASO negotiating team so that a new agreement can be reached and the Symphony’s 70th season can begin. Last week, the ASO announced that, without a new collective bargaining agreement in place, it had cancelled concerts from opening night, September 25, through November 8. If a new contract is ratified before November 8, the Symphony will begin performances as soon as possible.
Mr. Neal was elected to the ASO Board in 2013. As a long-time supporter and patron of the Symphony, he has been an active participant in ASO fundraising and marketing efforts. Since his election to the ASO Board, he has represented the ASO on Arts Center-wide development initiatives.
Mr. Neal retired from The Coca-Cola Company in 2009 after 30 years, most recently serving as Vice President of the Latin America Group and Director of Customer Development. Throughout his career, both domestically and internationally, his focus was on building collaborative business relationships with large, complex customers and developing the capabilities of senior level account directors.
Contact:
Caroline Duffy
Jackson Spalding
404-724-2515 (o) or 404-713-2984 (c)
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Announces Resignation Of President Stanley Romanstein; Terry Neal Named Interim President
ATLANTA – The Board of Directors of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) today announced that Stanley Romanstein, Ph.D., has resigned as President and CEO of the Orchestra, effective immediately.
Following Dr. Romanstein’s decision, the Executive Committee of the ASO Board appointed Terry Neal, a current ASO Board member and a retired executive of The Coca-Cola Company, to serve as president of the ASO on an interim basis. Mr. Neal will manage the day-to-day operations of the Orchestra until a permanent replacement can be found. Dr. Romanstein will be available to the organization through the end of October to assure a smooth transition.
“I believe that my continued leadership of the ASO would be an impediment to our reaching a new labor agreement with the ASO’s musicians,” Dr. Romanstein said.
The previous collective bargaining agreement between the ASO and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Players Association expired September 6.
Karole Lloyd, chair of the Board of Directors of the Symphony, said, “The ASO Board would like to thank Stanley for all of his contributions to the Orchestra over the last four and half years. We appreciate the passion he has brought to advancing the mission of the ASO.”
Virginia Hepner, president and CEO of the Woodruff Arts Center, said that Dr. Romanstein’s resignation does not change the financial challenges facing the Symphony nor signal any shift in the key issues being addressed in the collective bargaining agreement process.
“The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is a treasured part of our community,” Ms. Hepner said. “We want to make sure it can continue to flourish in the future.
To do that, we need to find ways to broaden our base of patrons and supporters and address the deficits we’ve had for 12 consecutive years. All of us at the Arts Center are committed to working with the musicians to find a solution.”
Ms. Hepner urged the musicians to resume negotiations with the ASO negotiating team so that a new agreement can be reached and the Symphony’s 70th season can begin. Last week, the ASO announced that, without a new collective bargaining agreement in place, it had cancelled concerts from opening night, September 25, through November 8. If a new contract is ratified before November 8, the Symphony will begin performances as soon as possible.
Mr. Neal was elected to the ASO Board in 2013. As a long-time supporter and patron of the Symphony, he has been an active participant in ASO fundraising and marketing efforts. Since his election to the ASO Board, he has represented the ASO on Arts Center-wide development initiatives.
Mr. Neal retired from The Coca-Cola Company in 2009 after 30 years, most recently serving as Vice President of the Latin America Group and Director of Customer Development. Throughout his career, both domestically and internationally, his focus was on building collaborative business relationships with large, complex customers and developing the capabilities of senior level account directors.
As of midnight September 7th, 2014, ASO President and CEO Stanley Romanstein had refused all requests to meet with the Musicians during the final hours before the 2012-2014 CBA expired, forcing them to submit their most recent proposal electronically. The musicians emphasized in their proposal that they wish to avoid a labor dispute and propose to continue negotiating while working under the concessionary 2012-14 contract. The musicians have received no response; it appears that the Woodruff Arts Center has locked out the Musicians of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for the second time in as many years.
In over eight months of negotiations, the Woodruff Arts Center and ASO Managements have displayed no willingness to find a workable agreement. They have refused to meet in person during the final days before our existing contract expired, and obstinately cling to the concessionary terms of their “last, best, and final offer,” under which the musicians would continue to hemorrhage income and lose orchestra positions.
Stanley Romanstein publicly accused the Musicians of not being willing to explore alternative health care solutions. Not only is that claim false – but the Musicians have offered the WAC healthcare solutions that would yield a greater savings without cutting into musician compensation any further.
According to the last, best, and final offer presented by the Woodruff Arts Center, the WAC has $3.75 million dollars available to further reduce the size of the orchestra by one third through a voluntary retirement incentive, and yet they will not apply such funding towards an agreement that we can sign. $3.75 million dollars exceeds the amount necessary to fund the musicians proposed increases. This is a WAC attempt to forever deprive the orchestra of its ability to function in the first league of orchestras.
The WAC has not demonstrated through their actions an understanding in the last two years of what is required to sustain a great American Orchestra – either artistically or financially. Because of this, the musicians can not afford to give up control to the WAC in determining the size of the orchestra.
The cost of the compensation package of Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Musicians was $12.2 million dollars in 2012. The cost of the compensation package as outlined in the Musicians’ proposal of September 6th will be $11.68 million dollars in 2018, the fourth year of the proposed agreement. Under the Musicians’ proposal, the orchestra’s costs will be less in 2018 than they were six years prior in 2012.
Paul Murphy, President ASOPA
In over eight months of negotiations, the Woodruff Arts Center and ASO Managements have displayed no willingness to find a workable agreement. They have refused to meet in person during the final days before our existing contract expired, and obstinately cling to the concessionary terms of their “last, best, and final offer,” under which the musicians would continue to hemorrhage income and lose orchestra positions.
Stanley Romanstein publicly accused the Musicians of not being willing to explore alternative health care solutions. Not only is that claim false – but the Musicians have offered the WAC healthcare solutions that would yield a greater savings without cutting into musician compensation any further.
According to the last, best, and final offer presented by the Woodruff Arts Center, the WAC has $3.75 million dollars available to further reduce the size of the orchestra by one third through a voluntary retirement incentive, and yet they will not apply such funding towards an agreement that we can sign. $3.75 million dollars exceeds the amount necessary to fund the musicians proposed increases. This is a WAC attempt to forever deprive the orchestra of its ability to function in the first league of orchestras.
The WAC has not demonstrated through their actions an understanding in the last two years of what is required to sustain a great American Orchestra – either artistically or financially. Because of this, the musicians can not afford to give up control to the WAC in determining the size of the orchestra.
The cost of the compensation package of Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Musicians was $12.2 million dollars in 2012. The cost of the compensation package as outlined in the Musicians’ proposal of September 6th will be $11.68 million dollars in 2018, the fourth year of the proposed agreement. Under the Musicians’ proposal, the orchestra’s costs will be less in 2018 than they were six years prior in 2012.
Paul Murphy, President ASOPA
To our valued patrons --
Today we regretfully announced the cancellation of all orchestral concerts through November 8, 2014, including the opening performance of the 2014-15 season on September 25, due to negotiations between ASO management and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Players’ Association (ASOPA) over a new collective bargaining agreement.
If an agreement is reached between ASO management and ASOPA before November 8, the classical season will be re-launched as soon as possible.
We are encouraging all of our patrons to keep their tickets until a new agreement can be reached. In the interim, there are a few options for you to consider.
Season ticket holders are encouraged to contact the ASO Season Tickets office at (404) 733-4800 with any questions.
We deeply appreciate your patronage and look forward to continuing to make music in Symphony Hall.
Best regards,
Stanley E. Romanstein, Ph.D.
President & CEO
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Today we regretfully announced the cancellation of all orchestral concerts through November 8, 2014, including the opening performance of the 2014-15 season on September 25, due to negotiations between ASO management and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Players’ Association (ASOPA) over a new collective bargaining agreement.
If an agreement is reached between ASO management and ASOPA before November 8, the classical season will be re-launched as soon as possible.
We are encouraging all of our patrons to keep their tickets until a new agreement can be reached. In the interim, there are a few options for you to consider.
- You may exchange your tickets to a future Atlanta Symphony Orchestra concert. A list of future concerts with good seating availability will be mailed out when the work stoppage is over in order to help you make a choice of concerts.
- You may consider the full face value of your unused tickets as a contribution to the ASO.
- You can request a full cash refund for any concerts that are cancelled. You will be reimbursed for any service fees.
Season ticket holders are encouraged to contact the ASO Season Tickets office at (404) 733-4800 with any questions.
We deeply appreciate your patronage and look forward to continuing to make music in Symphony Hall.
Best regards,
Stanley E. Romanstein, Ph.D.
President & CEO
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Romanstein Out, Eyes Turn to the WAC | September 30, 2014
And it is increasingly clear that the WAC is the real force behind the lockout.
This is hardly a new idea; the notion that the WAC is managing (or to be frank, mismanaging) the lockout is widely discussed around the country, including by the New York Times’ Michael Cooper.
This impression was amplified over the past week, as ASO board member Ron Antinori resigned, specifically citing the fact that the ASO board has been kept in the dark about the lockout and could do little about it. ArtsATL has more on this story:
“I didn’t feel that my voice and my opinions as [an ASO] board member had much of an effect on what was happening,” Antinori told ArtsATL, noting that he did not know that the management was planning to lock musicians out until just two days before the deadline for contract negotiations. “I am not privy to what WAC’s motivation is. That’s the elephant in the room. All I know is what I’ve heard: ‘We need to balance the budget.’ Am I suspicious? I honestly just don’t know. There does seem to be a mentality of ‘We don’t care if we destroy the orchestra as long as we balance the budget.’”
So for good or for bad, I think we can all agree that the real power broker here is the WAC.
And that raises a question. If the real power lies with the WAC board, does Romanstein’s departure mean anything? It is simply a quick public relations move designed to create a sense of momentum? Or a delaying tactic? Was he simply cast off for being unable to control the situation? Will the WAC become more directly involved, or start to act more openly? It is far too early to tell.
But it does mean the WAC bears close scrutiny.
This is hardly a new idea; the notion that the WAC is managing (or to be frank, mismanaging) the lockout is widely discussed around the country, including by the New York Times’ Michael Cooper.
This impression was amplified over the past week, as ASO board member Ron Antinori resigned, specifically citing the fact that the ASO board has been kept in the dark about the lockout and could do little about it. ArtsATL has more on this story:
“I didn’t feel that my voice and my opinions as [an ASO] board member had much of an effect on what was happening,” Antinori told ArtsATL, noting that he did not know that the management was planning to lock musicians out until just two days before the deadline for contract negotiations. “I am not privy to what WAC’s motivation is. That’s the elephant in the room. All I know is what I’ve heard: ‘We need to balance the budget.’ Am I suspicious? I honestly just don’t know. There does seem to be a mentality of ‘We don’t care if we destroy the orchestra as long as we balance the budget.’”
So for good or for bad, I think we can all agree that the real power broker here is the WAC.
And that raises a question. If the real power lies with the WAC board, does Romanstein’s departure mean anything? It is simply a quick public relations move designed to create a sense of momentum? Or a delaying tactic? Was he simply cast off for being unable to control the situation? Will the WAC become more directly involved, or start to act more openly? It is far too early to tell.
But it does mean the WAC bears close scrutiny.
Breaking News: Mayor Reed, Spano urge ASO, musicians to end the “deafening silence” | September 26, 2014 By Jenny Jarvie
Three weeks after the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s management locked musicians out of symphony facilities, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and ASO music director Robert Spano both released statements today that plead for a resolution to the conflict.
“World-class cities have world-class orchestras,” Reed said in a statement to ArtsATL, noting that the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra has released numerous Grammy-winning recordings and has “a reputation for excellence across the globe.”
Last week, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra canceled the beginning of its 70th anniversary season — including Thursday’s scheduled opening night concert featuring pianist Jeremy Denk — through November 8. Hundreds of musicians, chorus members and supporters gathered outside the Woodruff Arts Center yesterday evening for a protest event billed as “A Deafening Silence.”
While no new negotiations are taking place, the musicians agreed earlier this week to work with a federal mediator, as suggested by ASO management. Reed’s senior adviser, Melissa Mullinax, said she is trying to schedule a meeting between Reed and Spano, and perhaps representatives of the musicians, next week.
While Reed acknowledged that the ASO is facing significant challenges — diminished financial support for orchestras from both public and private funding sources — that have forced many orchestras across the country to cut costs and adjust their operating models, he appealed for musicians and management to work together.
“Tough negotiations do not have to result in a strike or lockout,” Reed said. “I urge both sides to return to the bargaining table, realizing that the ASO’s financial solvency and musical excellence are intertwined, not opposing forces. A protracted lockout is not good for the ASO and not good for Atlanta.”
“World-class cities have world-class orchestras,” Reed said in a statement to ArtsATL, noting that the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra has released numerous Grammy-winning recordings and has “a reputation for excellence across the globe.”
Last week, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra canceled the beginning of its 70th anniversary season — including Thursday’s scheduled opening night concert featuring pianist Jeremy Denk — through November 8. Hundreds of musicians, chorus members and supporters gathered outside the Woodruff Arts Center yesterday evening for a protest event billed as “A Deafening Silence.”
While no new negotiations are taking place, the musicians agreed earlier this week to work with a federal mediator, as suggested by ASO management. Reed’s senior adviser, Melissa Mullinax, said she is trying to schedule a meeting between Reed and Spano, and perhaps representatives of the musicians, next week.
While Reed acknowledged that the ASO is facing significant challenges — diminished financial support for orchestras from both public and private funding sources — that have forced many orchestras across the country to cut costs and adjust their operating models, he appealed for musicians and management to work together.
“Tough negotiations do not have to result in a strike or lockout,” Reed said. “I urge both sides to return to the bargaining table, realizing that the ASO’s financial solvency and musical excellence are intertwined, not opposing forces. A protracted lockout is not good for the ASO and not good for Atlanta.”
Atlanta Symphony musicians protest on what would have been opening night. | Posted: 12:26 am Friday, September 26th, 2014
By Howard Pousner
By Howard Pousner
The musicians of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra were wearing black, which would have been appropriate for Thursday night’s scheduled opening concert of its 70th anniversary season.
But the concert was cancelled earlier this week, another development in a whirlwind three-week lockout of the players by management of the orchestra and its parent nonprofit, the Woodruff Arts Center, that went into effect after the two sides failed to reach an accord on a new collective bargaining agreement.
Instead, the musicians donned their tuxes and gowns for a wordless demonstration that they dubbed “A Deafening Silence” on Callaway Plaza, outside the 15th Street entrance to the Woodruff Arts Center (WAC). Though many carried their instrument cases, there was no music, no speeches, just applause in support of the players.
The nearly half-hour protest was solemn, feeling more like a funeral, where black also is appropriate. When it ended and there were many quiet hugs, they seemed like the reassuring embraces of mourners rather than those of comrades in a cause.
Notable among those in the crowd giving and receiving hugs was ASO music director Robert Spano. As the participants assembled across Peachtree Street beforehand, the casually clad maestro shared welcoming embraces with his musicians, repeatedly telling them, “I’m so proud of you.”
But the concert was cancelled earlier this week, another development in a whirlwind three-week lockout of the players by management of the orchestra and its parent nonprofit, the Woodruff Arts Center, that went into effect after the two sides failed to reach an accord on a new collective bargaining agreement.
Instead, the musicians donned their tuxes and gowns for a wordless demonstration that they dubbed “A Deafening Silence” on Callaway Plaza, outside the 15th Street entrance to the Woodruff Arts Center (WAC). Though many carried their instrument cases, there was no music, no speeches, just applause in support of the players.
The nearly half-hour protest was solemn, feeling more like a funeral, where black also is appropriate. When it ended and there were many quiet hugs, they seemed like the reassuring embraces of mourners rather than those of comrades in a cause.
Notable among those in the crowd giving and receiving hugs was ASO music director Robert Spano. As the participants assembled across Peachtree Street beforehand, the casually clad maestro shared welcoming embraces with his musicians, repeatedly telling them, “I’m so proud of you.”
Support from the Minnesota Orchestra and an ICSOM "Call to Action" for assistance to the musicians of the Atlanta Symphony
Eric Sjöström "Today we (The Musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra) voted to send a lead gift of $16,000 to the Musicians of the Atlanta Symphony, symbolizing $1,000 per month of lock out from October 2012 through January 2014. We survived the siege with tremendous support from ICSOM, along with many other believers in great music!"
The musicians of the Atlanta Symphony need our financial support. We ask, and encourage, all the orchestras of ICSOM to consider making a financial donation to the cause. A donation from your treasury, or a collection taken by the members of your Players' Association, would be of great assistance. We are confident that all of the musicians in our ICSOM orchestras are eager to stand with their colleagues in Atlanta.
Wherever an orchestra is in trouble, let us all respond. Wherever a musician is in need, let us all respond. Wherever a negative image of the arts is produced, let us answer with a positive message of hope. As they hear our music, let them also hear our voices.
Let this serve as another "Call to Action" for our membership. What happens in Atlanta will affect us all. If we effectively respond to every Call to Action, we will demonstrate the power in collective action. We can and will make a powerful statement to our managements and boards as we work to spread the positive community message of the musicians of ICSOM.
Wherever an orchestra is in trouble, let us all respond. Wherever a musician is in need, let us all respond. Wherever a negative image of the arts is produced, let us answer with a positive message of hope. As they hear our music, let them also hear our voices.
Let this serve as another "Call to Action" for our membership. What happens in Atlanta will affect us all. If we effectively respond to every Call to Action, we will demonstrate the power in collective action. We can and will make a powerful statement to our managements and boards as we work to spread the positive community message of the musicians of ICSOM.
Atlanta Symphony Lockout Is Enforced Silence | Posted: 09/25/2014 5:45 pm EDT
Alan Fletcher Become a fan Composer, commentator, President and CEO of the Aspen Music Festival and School
Alan Fletcher Become a fan Composer, commentator, President and CEO of the Aspen Music Festival and School
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/1/5/13150234/5117854.jpg?182)
There are two sides to this. To say that the orchestra must have 106 full-time positions at a nationally competitive salary, or 96, or 86, may or may not be right. To say that any compromise along this axis is the end of the orchestra is surely wrong. But it is the essence of the importance of a collective bargaining agreement that it should ensure the voice of the musicians in decisions about the size and scope of the organization.
In Detroit, as in Minneapolis, there were important voices saying that it didn't matter if leading musicians left the orchestra. To say that any loss of musicians decimates the orchestra would also be wrong. Orchestras are constantly renewing themselves, and even the most legendary players leave, and become part of a legendary history. But there is a fulcrum, and when too many are leaving, the seesaw flips with a vengeance. Robert Spano has had a particular genius for finding the best young brass players, and orchestras including the Chicago Symphony and the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics have consistently recruited from Atlanta. This is a healthy thing for an orchestra in Atlanta's position. If the top young talent cannot be recruited, because they understand that Atlanta might no longer be the perfect place to incubate their skills, then something infinitely precious is being squandered.
It's hard to have faith that the leadership of the Woodruff Center understands any of this.
What is needed, in Atlanta and everywhere, is the recognition that all sides play a part. It's how philanthropy works -- a partnership, an investment, a shared good. It's how artistry works. Dare I say, it's how excellent management works.
A lockout is an enforcement of silence. It doesn't work.
In Detroit, as in Minneapolis, there were important voices saying that it didn't matter if leading musicians left the orchestra. To say that any loss of musicians decimates the orchestra would also be wrong. Orchestras are constantly renewing themselves, and even the most legendary players leave, and become part of a legendary history. But there is a fulcrum, and when too many are leaving, the seesaw flips with a vengeance. Robert Spano has had a particular genius for finding the best young brass players, and orchestras including the Chicago Symphony and the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics have consistently recruited from Atlanta. This is a healthy thing for an orchestra in Atlanta's position. If the top young talent cannot be recruited, because they understand that Atlanta might no longer be the perfect place to incubate their skills, then something infinitely precious is being squandered.
It's hard to have faith that the leadership of the Woodruff Center understands any of this.
What is needed, in Atlanta and everywhere, is the recognition that all sides play a part. It's how philanthropy works -- a partnership, an investment, a shared good. It's how artistry works. Dare I say, it's how excellent management works.
A lockout is an enforcement of silence. It doesn't work.
Music Director Laments Lockout Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Music Director Backs Performers | By MICHAEL COOPER SEPT. 23, 2014
When the well-regarded Atlanta Symphony Orchestra locked out its musicians in a labor dispute for the second time in two years and then announced this week that it was canceling the beginning of its 70th-anniversary season, its music director, Robert Spano, found himself worrying about what the silencing of the ensemble would mean for Atlanta.
“This is a dire and critical juncture for the city of Atlanta, which is in danger of losing the flagship of its culture,” Mr. Spano said in his first interview since the orchestra’s musicians, who accepted significant pay cuts two years ago, were locked out this month after balking at a proposal that would further erode their take-home pay. “If the 10th-largest urban economy in America is incapable of sustaining its cultural jewel, what does that signal about our country?”
The labor battle in Atlanta has not been only about pay and benefits, but also about the size of the ensemble itself, as the orchestra’s management and its parent organization try to cut its costs to end a string of persistent budget deficits. Mr. Spano lamented that “our brilliant and creative musicians, who need to be intimately involved in the creation of our path to the future, have been asked to leave the building — and Atlanta is left with a deafening silence.”
“This is a dire and critical juncture for the city of Atlanta, which is in danger of losing the flagship of its culture,” Mr. Spano said in his first interview since the orchestra’s musicians, who accepted significant pay cuts two years ago, were locked out this month after balking at a proposal that would further erode their take-home pay. “If the 10th-largest urban economy in America is incapable of sustaining its cultural jewel, what does that signal about our country?”
The labor battle in Atlanta has not been only about pay and benefits, but also about the size of the ensemble itself, as the orchestra’s management and its parent organization try to cut its costs to end a string of persistent budget deficits. Mr. Spano lamented that “our brilliant and creative musicians, who need to be intimately involved in the creation of our path to the future, have been asked to leave the building — and Atlanta is left with a deafening silence.”
ASO Concert Cancellations: Conversations with Both Sides | September 22, 2104
On Monday, September 22, 2014, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra announced it was calling off its season-opening concert, set for September 25, and all other concerts through November 8, 2014. The orchestra and its musicians have been unable to reach a contract agreement, and the musicians have been locked out since the expiration of their previous contract on September 6. After the ASO announced the cancellations, the Players Association announced some of its members will perform a concert double-header at Kennesaw State University on Friday, September 26, 2014--with more community concerts in the works.
WABE's Denis O'Hayer spoke with leaders on both sides: Dr. Stanley Romanstein, president and CEO of the ASO, and Joel Dallow, a veteran ASO cellist who is also a member of the Players Association committee. The broadcast and expanded versions of both interviews are below:
On Monday, September 22, 2014, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra announced it was calling off its season-opening concert, set for September 25, and all other concerts through November 8, 2014. The orchestra and its musicians have been unable to reach a contract agreement, and the musicians have been locked out since the expiration of their previous contract on September 6. After the ASO announced the cancellations, the Players Association announced some of its members will perform a concert double-header at Kennesaw State University on Friday, September 26, 2014--with more community concerts in the works.
WABE's Denis O'Hayer spoke with leaders on both sides: Dr. Stanley Romanstein, president and CEO of the ASO, and Joel Dallow, a veteran ASO cellist who is also a member of the Players Association committee. The broadcast and expanded versions of both interviews are below:
September 17, 2014
GEORGIA
Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center
Placed at the request of Local 148-462, Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra dba ASO Presents
Placed at the request of Local 148-462, Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Placed at the request of Local 148-462, Atlanta, GA
GEORGIA
Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center
Placed at the request of Local 148-462, Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra dba ASO Presents
Placed at the request of Local 148-462, Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Placed at the request of Local 148-462, Atlanta, GA
ASO PLAYERS SPEAK OUT | Published on Sep 17, 2014
Fulton County Commission
Fulton County Commission