Atlanta: The path from lock-out to lock-down

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra has a new acting president in the driving seat today, a former executive of Coca-cola which once aspired ‘to teach the world to sing/in perfect harmony.’

There ‘s a long way to go before they reach that point in darkest Georgia. And a lot of questions for the new boss to answer before he can regain the trust of musicians and the musical public.

But all beginnings are hard and Terry Neal (pictured) will have at least the advantage of a clear head and a clean collar.

First, Neal needs to end the lockout, enabling the musicians to get back to playing while talks resume.

Next, he and they need to shut up for a week while both sides talk to the federal mediator. Media silence on both sides is a good way to repair broken trust. Go from lockout to lockdown by the end of the week, that’s out tip.