On 9/27/2010 the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) musicians published a statement at their website offering up speculation on why conductor JoAnn Faletta withdrew from conducting their self produced concerts on 10/3/2010 and 10/10/2010. According to the musicians, Faletta had “graciously agreed to conduct…donating her services during their labor dispute with management” but shortly thereafter Columbia Artists Management Inc. (CAMI) president Tim Fox, the agency that represents Faletta, told the musicians Faletta would have to withdraw…
Mehta Leaving New York Philharmonic in 2012
Not long ago, the Managing Director of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Bill Mason, announced he would be stepping down at the end of the 2001/12 season. In a similar move, New York Philharmonic President and Executive Director, Zarin Mehta, announced (pdf) he will be leaving his position at the same time. All in all, this is a smart move by both organizations…
Where Things Stand In Detroit
As last ditch, multi-mediator facilitated bargaining sessions between the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) and their musicians failed to produce a settlement over the weekend, the organization crossed the first major benchmark in contentious labor disputes. In this case, DSO management decided to abandon play and talk bargaining in favor of implementing their last, best, and final offer and in response, the musicians announced they are going on strike starting Monday, October 4, 2010…
Friday Poll: Workplace Satisfaction
Last Wednesday’s article about workplace satisfaction generated an enormous amount of direct reader email. Clearly, this is an issue which those in the field feel strongly about but for whatever reason, there’s an equally strong trend to share those thoughts privately. But that doesn’t mean we can’t conduct some casual polls to get a better idea of what people think… As such, take a moment out of your day to answer …
Off To Dallas
I’m in Dallas today for some HEARTbeats Foundation related work and while here, I’ll be attending the Dallas Symphony’s Beethoven Triple Concerto concert featuring Chee-Yun, Lynn Harrell, and Anne-Marie McDermott. The concert will be conducted by Jaap van Zweden and this will be the first time I’ve heard him conduct the Dallas symphony, so it should be a fascinating concert. As an aside, I wonder if any Texas based orchestra has …