Shop Talk S02E01: Navigating COVID Era Agreements

Season 2 comes out of the gate at full speed and my captivating guests include a group of stakeholders from the Toledo Symphony Orchestra who were brave enough to talk about one of my absolute favorite topics: contracts. More to the point we talked about how this orchestra went about navigating the waters of COVID era agreements.

We all know about the organizations that decided to shut down and force as many concessions as possible from musician stakeholders while shedding nearly all of their staff. Worse, are the orchestras where the executive leadership decided to go to labor war. On the other side of that coin are groups like Toledo that made the decision to honor the financial commitments to musicians. What they discovered is that commitment made all of the ensuing negotiations better.

Having stayed in the game for the last year, they discovered just how important the continued bond with the community, which is helping them pick up steam that much sooner. At the core of this was a decision not to use clauses or force majeure to force solution. I spent an hour talking to the TSO’s board chair, CEO, orchestra manager and the orchestra committee chair and another member. It was a candid, enlightening, and uplifting conversation.

It is a fascinating discussion that just flew by. Here are a few highlights:

[easy-tweet tweet=”It was a wildly collaborative process. – Shop Talk S02E01: Navigating COVID Era Agreements” template=”qlite”]

[easy-tweet tweet=”Having the support of honoring our contracts through the end of the (20/21) season made the ensuing conversations better. – Shop Talk S02E01: Navigating COVID Era Agreements” template=”qlite”]

[easy-tweet tweet=”Concessions were always within the context of begin offered 100% of our pay…it turned discussions from can we do this to how do we do this. – Shop Talk S02E01: Navigating COVID Era Agreements” template=”qlite”]

Guests

Pat Bowe

Pat serve as the President and CEO of The Andersons, a diversified company rooted in agriculture that conducts business across North America in the grain, ethanol, plant nutrient and rail sectors. The Andersons grows enduring relationships through extraordinary service, a deep knowledge of the market and a knack for finding new ways to add value as they have done for 70 years.

Amy Heritage

B.M. in Music Therapy from Shenandoah University, M.M. and D.M. in Flute Performance from Indiana University.

Keith McWatters

TSO Member Since 1980.

Elizabeth Rice

TSO cellist Elizabeth Rice joined the Toledo Symphony cello section in 2018, and one of her first performances with our orchestra was Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music – CCM, Elizabeth received both Bachelors and Masters degrees in Cello Performance while studying with Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra cellist Alan Rafferty. She has also studied with Hans Jensen at the Meadowmount School Of Music, and has received recognition in competitions as both a solo and chamber musician.
When not playing cello, Elizabeth enjoys being outdoors, petting dogs, and baking, and dreams of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.

Zak Vassar

Zak is the President & CEO of the Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts, which consists of the Toledo Symphony and Toledo Ballet. Prior to his work in the arts, he was a marketing consultant, primarily for Fortune 100 firms.