Drew McManus on the orchestra business.
There’s nothing quite like a topic grenade to round out the week. Today’s entry comes from Fort Worth where the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra (FWSO) recently announced they intend to produce live, indoor concert events in the fall with heavily reduced audiences and strict social distancing rules. Before anyone decides to jump on the pro/con bandwagon, think back to June when we looked at efforts underway at the Dallas Symphony to …
The 5/15/2017 edition of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram published an article by Azia Branson that reports Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra (FWSO) music director Miguel Harth-Bedoya was ejected from Bass Performance Hall for wanting to bring his daughter’s violin into the lobby with him. FWSO is a resident ensemble of Bass Hall and according to the article, a Bass Hall spokesperson indicated all resident companies were notified of the heightened security measures …
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]There’s a good article in the 12/7/2016 edition of the Star-Telegram by Andrea Ahles that examines some of the key terms from the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra’s new four-year agreement. The most interesting part isn’t so much the details as it is about the anonymous large donor. The article reports that a $700,000 donation became the carrot to get both sides out of entrenched positions. Regarding base musician salary, the gift …
One day after a report that bargaining was stalled, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra (FWSO) announced it reached a tentative agreement. The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), which had been mediating the negotiations, released a press statement on 12/04/2016 announcing the tentative deal. The musicians have scheduled a ratification meeting for Wednesday, 12/07/2016 but as of now, there is no work if the musicians’ negotiation team plans to recommend their …
The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra (FWSO) just crossed another major threshold in their ongoing work stoppage in the form of cancelling all remaining event activity through the end of 2016. For orchestras this size, the winter holiday season is one of the most lucrative earned income opportunities over the course of the season so the decision to cancel the entire lot two months in advance is a bad omen for wrapping …