The Met Settles: Here Are Some Details That Are Probably New To You

On Tuesday, 8/24/2021, The Metropolitan Opera announced it had reached an agreement with the musicians’ union that will get the opera company back up and running by early September. While a copy of the final agreement has yet to be released, I did manage to secure some details from inside sources with firsthand knowledge. The four-year term generates a 20 percent cumulative cut for existing musicians that comes from a variety …

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No One Can Force You To Make Good Choices

If there’s one thing the pandemic has demonstrated, it is agreements aren’t nearly as rigid as conventional wisdom dictates. At the same time, they’re only as flexible as the people involved, the choices they make, and the process they embrace. Tomorrow’s post will be the inaugural episode for Season 2 of Shop Talk, it features a candid discussion with executive decision makers and musician representatives from the Toledo Symphony, a group …

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Thinking About The Better Part Of Valor

Assuming The Metropolitan Opera doesn’t settle the ongoing labor dispute with Musicians beforehand, July 18 may be the earliest date for details to emerge about the recent tentative agreement between the employer and IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees). July 18 is the date IATSE members plan to hold their ratification meeting so it’s reasonable to assume that will be the earliest we can expect to see reliable details about the …

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Things May Be Coming To Head At The Met

First AGMA (American Guild of Musical Artists) settled and now IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees). While neither side in the agreement has released information about the deal, the folks over at OperaWire.com have an inside source that says Met General Director Peter Gelb fell far short of the cuts he went to war over. Per information supplied to OperaWire, the agreement was struck early on Saturday morning and includes a …

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Colorado Springs Discord Continues

The Colorado Springs Philharmonic Orchestra (CSPO) labor dispute continues with little change from where they were months ago. What this means is while other orchestras are tooling back up for performance activity and moving ahead, the CSPO continues to shrink in their rearview mirror. While both sides in the dispute remain in arbitration, there is no progress to report. What has changed is an increase in local attention where KKTV recently …

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