Thursday (10/14) on the New York Times blog ArtsBeat, Daniel J. Wakin reports on a concert to be given by the musicians of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. The musicians are on strike from the orchestra, and the concert will be self-produced. “A local television station, WADL-TV38, has decided to broadcast one of their concerts, a program on Oct. 24 at a church in the affluent Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills, Mich. The musicians went on strike on Oct. 4 over wage and benefit cuts and work rule changes at the financially troubled orchestra. They have been playing concerts on their own, to earn publicity and money to support the strike, a common practice in such disputes. The program features Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’ and Brahms Symphony No. 2, conducted by Joseph Silverstein. The announcement of the broadcast was made by the musicians and the station. Steve Antoniotti, WADL’s vice president and general manager, said in a telephone interview on Thursday that he had suggested the broadcast. He said the station was not taking sides, but acknowledged that some people might see it as pro-player. ‘We’re just trying to provide the opportunity for everyone to see what a great community asset this orchestra is,’ he said.”
Posted October 15, 2010
