In Wednesday’s (10/17) North County Times (San Diego), James Chute reports, “Two days before Orchestra Nova was set to open its season, the orchestra’s music director, Jung-Ho Pak, has resigned and the orchestra has canceled its weekend concerts. … The orchestra was involved in contentious contract negotiations with its musicians. The six-month process had stalled, primarily over issues of artistic control, but the musicians were prepared to play this weekend’s concerts without a contract and rehearsals were scheduled for Thursday. The musicians’ negotiating committee was informed Wednesday that the rehearsals, and the season-opening concerts, were canceled. … Orchestra Nova CEO Beverly Lambert said Wednesday that the organization had hoped to get the contract negotiated before the concerts, but that didn’t happen, and that Pak left when his vision for the orchestra could not be fulfilled. … Pak … wanted the authority to fire musicians who he believed were not being demonstrative, expressive or dramatic enough. In its last bargaining session in late September, the administration proposed reducing the size of the orchestra to a core group of roughly half of its current size (approximately 30-35 members) … The proposal was turned down and no bargaining sessions have been scheduled.” Pak is also artistic director and conductor of the Cape Cod Symphony.
Posted October 19, 2012
