Concert Cancellations And New Fundraising In Jacksonville

In an email message from 1/2/2008, Jacksonville Symphony Association (JSA) Executive Director, Alan Hopper, confirmed that the message appearing on the jsomusicians.org message board on 12/28/2007 was written by JSA executive board member Tom Beames (details of that letter are available here). Hopper also confirmed that personalized versions of the letter have been distributed to some individuals; however, there was no response to questions about whether or not Tom Beames plans to step down from the JSA board or if the board will ask him to resign…

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Recent Developments in Jacksonville

The "Jacksonville Emails" debacle moved to a new phase over the weekend when a user identifying himself as "Henson Markham" posted what he identified as "Tom Beames letter to the JSA Board" at the jsomusicians.org guestbook. Conversely, the Jacksonville Symphony Association (JSA) has acknowledged that they will release any official response written by or on the behalf of JSA Executive Board member Tom Beames to his email message from 12/19/2007 as soon as it is available but to date, no such response has been issued. Nevertheless, the letter attributed to Mr. Beames posted late Friday evening, 12/28/2007 was apologetic for what it defined as "misunderstandings" of "typographical" and "missed context" nature. The letter closes with the author stating "For even a single member of this orchestra to see me as anything but an active, grateful, well-intended volunteer trying to make our community and its citizens all that is possible, is unacceptable. I implore you to accept the remorse of an impassioned but at times clumsy friend that is subject to mistakes and foils like anyone else". Three days after the letter allegedly written by Mr. Beames, the JSA Board of directors cancelled the musician’s health care coverage…

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Debunking Some Spin in Jacksonville

Among the attachments in the “Jacksonville Emails” is a copy of a Jacksonville Symphony Players’ Association (JSPA) press release from December 15, 2007 which Jacksonville Symphony Association (JSA) Board Chair, Jim Van Vleck, took the time to add what he described as “‘modifications’ to their claims.” Although only 158 words in length, the document provides an unfiltered look into how the JSA executive board leaders communicate with fellow board members about details surrounding the negotiations…

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Jacksonville Musicians Respond To Board Member Email

Jacksonville Symphony Players’ Association (JSPA) issued a press release late 12/26 demanding Tom Beames, Jacksonville Symphony Association (JSA) Executive Board member and Vice Chair of Artistic Affair, to leave the JSA executive board…

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“kids at Christmas with no presents” In Jacksonville

Jaxrevealed
Recently, an email message from Tom Beames, Jacksonville Symphony Association (JSA) Executive Board member and Vice Chair of Artistic Affairs, to his fellow JSA Board members generated a great deal of attention when the message (in part and in whole) began appearing at several online discussion boards, including the JSO Lockdown Facebook group. In that email message, Vice Chair Beames congratulates JSA Board Chair Jim Van Vleck and Executive Director Alan Hopper "on standing firm and showing strength" during the December 14 bargaining session. However, Vice Chair Beames also expresses belief that "the heartstrings
of kids at Christmas with no presents certainly will have an impact" on
the $60,000 in differences between the current offers from the JSA and
the Jacksonville Symphony Players’ Association (JSPA)…

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