In Friday’s (8/13) Detroit Free Press, Mark Stryker reports, “In another sign of the deep divisions in the contract dispute between management and musicians of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the players have scheduled two concerts on their own in September. The performances, planned for Sept. 11 and 19 at Kirk in the Hills church in Bloomfield Hills, will take place during the period after the musicians’ current contract expires on Aug. 29 but before the orchestra’s 2010-11 season officially opens the first full week of October. Though orchestra musicians on strike often perform concerts to drum up support for their side, it’s rare that such events are announced weeks before a contract expires. … Management’s latest offer cuts the players’ base pay by 28% in the first year, from $104,650 to $75,000, with increases to nearly $80,000 in the third year. The players have countered with a proposed 22% cut to $82,000 in the first year, rising to $96,000 in the third year. DSO president Anne Parsons said she’s not angry about the concerts. ‘They want to play concerts for the public in September, and I think that’s fantastic,’ she said. ‘I’m trying to see the best in everything that’s going on here.’ ”
Posted August 13, 2010
