In Tuesday’s (3/29) Detroit News, Michael H. Hodges writes, “Wednesday’s meeting of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra board could well be a fateful one, in light of warnings that the summer season will have to be canceled—and the fall season put in jeopardy—if no agreement in the strike is reached by Friday. ‘We got an email from management Thursday saying that it was April 1 or bust,’ said musicians’ spokesman Greg Bowens. By late February, major orchestras have generally announced the next year’s season, signed contracts with guest conductors and performers, and started selling tickets. The DSO has been unable to do any of this because of the strike, which began Oct. 4. The two sides have been locked in a stalemate since Feb. 19, when the musicians rejected what DSO officials called their final offer and the board canceled the 2010-11 season. In a statement released Monday by the DSO, board Chairman Stanley M. Frankel struck a positive note. ‘The simple matter is that the negotiating teams, attorneys and community mediator have been meeting via phone and email every day for several weeks, including this past Friday, Saturday and Sunday,’ said Frankel in an email forwarded by DSO spokeswoman Elizabeth Weigandt. ‘We are convinced that a settlement is within reach and that all energies in these next few days must be dedicated to achieving that goal including, when the time is right, meeting face to face.’ ”
Posted March 29, 2011
