In an opinion piece on the editorial page of Sunday’s (8/25) St. Paul Pioneer Press (Minnesota), St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Assistant Principal Viola Evelina Chao writes, “In a recent commentary on the St. Paul city budget, Mayor Chris Coleman wrote that a balanced approach to budgeting was serving the city well. Citing the Farmers’ Market and several other successful projects, he proclaimed, “I will look around and be reminded of what makes St. Paul truly the most livable city in America.” Surely this is good news. But I would ask Mr. Coleman to look a few blocks west, to the historic Landmark Center and the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. The throngs of people who attend the many concerts and cultural events and patronize restaurants and hotels attest to the fact that here lies the heart of the city … Unfortunately, in recent negotiations to sign a new contract (our current agreement expires Sept. 30) the SPCO management and board have proposed wage cuts of 57 percent and 67 percent, as well as reducing drastically the number of concerts involving our full ensemble. … We fear the complete degradation of excellence and our orchestra as we know it. It has taken us years to meld as an ensemble, to develop our sound and unity. … Musicians brought in on a revolving basis cannot re-create our sound, our cohesion. … And so I ask the Twin Cities community to let the SPCO management know how much you value the music of our orchestra, that you want a solution that preserves its quality, and that you are willing to help to assure that preservation.”
Posted August 27, 2012
