In Saturday’s (3/30) Star-Tribune (Minneapolis), Graydon Royce writes, “With no formal talks on the horizon, the remainder of the Minnesota Orchestra’s 2012-13 season almost certainly will be canceled. The opening of a renovated Orchestra Hall in July could be another victim of a bitter fight that has cost millions in economic activity and frustrated music fans. The labor dispute that has silenced the orchestra will hit the six-month mark Monday, making it the most protracted among top 10 U.S. orchestras in decades. While the orchestra has a 2013-14 season planned, it has, for obvious reasons, delayed making an announcement. … Jesse Rosen, president of the League of American Orchestras, warned Thursday that the two sides need to talk. ‘There is going to be a solution,’ Rosen said. ‘Why not get to it sooner than later?’ Management says it has offered several dates for negotiations. Musicians counter that without an independent financial analysis, there is nothing to talk about. … Patrons have formed organizations aimed at settling the dispute, or at least getting the orchestra playing again. Friendly legislators have taken up the musicians’ cause at the State Capitol, and the $52 million Orchestra Hall project continues. In short, there’s plenty of activity, but nothing that seems to be nudging the dispute to an end.”
Correction: An early headline for this report stated incorrectly that the work stoppage was due to a strike. It is, in fact, a lockout. We regret the error.
Posted April 1, 2013
