Hot news: Osmo Vanska to conduct Minnesota musicians again
mainA date has been fixed next May for the former music director and his locked-out musicians. The programme at the Unniversity of Minnesota will replicate the orchestra’s very first concert on campus in 1929. Check it out here.
I am not clear about this. Are we to understand that the musicians have reorganized themselves into a new organization, independent of the Minnesota Orchestra Board?
As I understand it, they remain the musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra (they have not resigned). But, yes, they are performing and fundraising as The Musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra. “Uncharted territory.” Osmo Vänskä’s clenched fist in the concert promotion photo (link below) says it all: He and the musicians intend to continue their collaboration, one way or another.
http://www.minnesotaorchestramusicians.org/echoes-of-history-osmo-vanska-and-the-musicians-of-the-minnesota-orchestra-may-2/
No, they have not officially done that, but they continue to put on their own incredible concerts. To date I think they have played more than 26 sold out concerts in Minneapolis since the lockout began in Oct. 2012. The added 3rd concert with Osmo in Oct. sold out in 30 minutes and the ticketing agency said they had 40,000 hits of people trying to get tickets. I hope the MOA is reflecting on their insane decision to cut costs by trying their best to dump our beloved conductor.
The musicians’ 501(c)(3) application is “pending” according to the Northrop website. Is it possible to obtain that tax-exempt status without “forming a new organization”? Seems unlikely. The Northrop concert information also refers to them as an “organization” but maybe that is incorrect.
http://www.irs.gov/Charities-&-Non-Profits/Charitable-Organizations/Exemption-Requirements-Section-501(c)(3)-Organizations
I was one of the founders of a 501(c)3 organization (local land trust) in the 1990s and, although I was not involved with the filing, what I recall is that we needed to have bylaws in place, and that the “pending” part did not take long. Once granted, we were officially constituted as a self-governing, tax-exempt, charitable/educational legal entity.
No (although this concert is sponsored by an external organization, instead of being musician-produced).
Well Dear Mr. Tobin, they sure seem to be on their way to doing just that. Fingers crossed here in Minnesota.
How long can they keep going “locked out”? Eventually they need to go find paying jobs and there won’t be a quorum. Or do most of these musicians have so many side teaching and free lance gigs that they could hold out indefinitely?
Another question is how long can the MOA mgmt continue on its path as a non-profit which is NOT fulfilling its mission.
No, They have not. They are continuing to produce concerts on their own and will be a part of the grand re-opening as the Musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra. They are still technically employees of the Minnesota Orchestral Association.
It sure sounds like it from the article. They are saying that they are creating a 501 C-3 (a non profit corporation) called “the Musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra”. This is a strategy that has been tried before-the Honolulu Symphony musicians at one point in (1994-95) created a non-profit as “the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra” which eventually merged back into the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra organization once it became clear that the musicians were going to continue to perform and make music regardless of the behavior of management. I have no idea what sort of management structure they will have, but the bylaws will probably written in such a way that it will not be possible for the Board or Management to lock them out!
The entire amount of pay and benefits to Henson and the bloated MOA staff during the lock out should be clawed back and escrowed in trust for the musician’s benefit in producing these concerts.