Drew McManus on the orchestra business.
Things seem to be rolling along for the Metropolitan Opera (Met); once the company reached tentative four year agreements with the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) and the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) it only took a day to reach a similar agreement with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). Pundits and the usual talking head crowd are lining up to declare winners and losers but there may …
Although it took all parties working through the night, it appears that the Metropolitan Opera (Met) and two of its three largest unions, American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) and American Federation of Musicians (AFM), managed to reach a tentative four year agreement around 6:15am ET on 8/18/14. Although details have yet to emerge, internal sources indicate that the deal was reached thanks to the Met abandoning its zero sum bargaining …
Just a quick pointer today over to the audio from yesterday’s WQXR podcast, Conducting Business. I posted it so late in the day that a number of readers apparently missed it but fear not, it’s up and running inside yesterday’s post plus you can go right to the source at the WQXR website. In addition to a streaming copy of the program, you will find some after-the-fact thoughts on the potential …
Update: the segment is now live! I had the pleasure of taking part in a panel discussion for WQXR’s bi-weekly podcast Conducting Business, hosted by Naomi Lewin, to talk about the Metropolitan Opera’s ongoing labor negotiations. My fellow panelists included: James Jorden, editor of the opera blog Parterre Box and a contributor to the New York Observer. Lois S. Gray, a Professor Emeritus of Labor Management Relations Emeritus at Cornell University. [ilink url=”http://www.wqxr.org/story/how-solve-met-labor-dispute-three-views/”]Or listen via the WQXR website.[/ilink] One …
A coloratura goes to a psychiatrist complaining about mental stress from a string of bad reviews. The doctor says, “You’re crazy.” The coloratura says, “I want a second opinion” so the doctor tells her “Okay, you really should have been a lyric soprano!” Speaking of second opinions, the Metropolitan Opera’s (Met) mediation has produced an interesting byproduct in the form of a mutually agreed upon independent examination of the organization’s financial …