Breaking news: Atlanta Symphony boss quits

Stanley Romanstein, who engineered two lockouts of the musicians in as many years, has left the job in mid-lockout.

Romanstein said: ‘I believe that my continued leadership of the ASO would be an impediment to our reaching a new labor agreement with the ASO’s musicians.’

That may well be the case, but to walk out in the middle of a dispute exposes considerable weakness.

Romanstein will be replaced in the short term by Terry Neal, a retired Coca-Cola Company executive and current ASO Board member.

Romanstein came to Atlanta in 2010 from the Minnesota Humanities Center in St. Paul, replacing Allison Vulgamore, who left the ASO for Philadelphia with a mounting deficit in her wake.

A man of limitless vanity who flaunted his (unrelated) PhD on all emails, Romanstein was ordered by the board into successive confrontations with the musicians. Two years ago, he achieved a quick wage reduction. This time round, the musicians were supported by their conductors and public sentiment. The board have thrown ‘Dr Stanley’ to the wolves and must now try to dig themselves out of the hole they have dug.

More information here.