According to two news reports (here and here), the Honolulu Symphony Musicians presented a filing this week that “(Based) on its history of gross mismanagement and incompetence …management is incapable of the task reorganization and a Chapter 11 trustee should be appointed, or, in the alternative, the case should be converted to Chapter 7 or dismissed.” This comes barely a month after an article here from 2/8/2010 which speculated on whether Chapter 7 liquidation might be a better alternative than Chapter 11 reorganization bankruptcy…
Labor Relations
Updates In Seattle
It was an eventful weekend for stakeholders at the Seattle Symphony Orchestra (SSO) as the ensemble crossed the latest benchmark in their ongoing labor dispute. On Sunday 1/17/2010, the musicians unanimously rejected a contract proposal from management and although they have already passed a strike authorization, the musicians have stated that they do not plan to initiate any work stoppage at the present time…
Things That Make you Go “Buh?” NHMF
Thanks to an astute reader for posting a comment to yesterday’s article, pointing out an item of interest at the New Hampshire Music Festival (NHMF) website. The reader noticed that the NHMF website features a picture of Festival Director, Henry Fogel, on the home page along with a related press notice but there is no musician roster listed anywhere throughout the website. This touches on an old topic, dating all the way back to one of Adaptistration’s very first articles from 11/6/2003 titled I Go To The Symphony For Their Executive Director?…
Yep, Process Still Matters
All things being equal, something like this might have slipped by under the radar but thanks to the Boston Globe’s Geoff Edgers, events at the New Hampshire Music Festival (NHMF) have taken center stage. According to Edgers’ article from the 1/11/2010 edition, the NHMF’s board and administrative leadership attempted to implement sweeping changes that were the result of re-conceptualizing the artistic model…
Come On Cleveland, You’re Better Than This
Regular readers know that when we talk about orchestras and new media, one recurring warning is to resist the urge to use new media outlets for press release regurgitation. After all, that’s what press pages at an orchestra’s web site are for. Likewise, using the official organizational new media and social networking outlets to disseminate one-sided information about an ongoing labor dispute is not merely bad form, but ultimately self defeating…