How the musicians won in Minnesota
OrchestrasJulie Ayer, former violinist in the Minnesota Orchestra, has written a blow-by-blow account of how the locked-out musicians achieved their victory over 15 months against an obdurate board and management.
The mendacity of some board members is scarcely to be believed. If they hate musicians this much, why donate to an orchestra?
Have been waiting for this one!
Some people believe the fact that they do charity shows something about them, even if they don’t care. A part of the new rich don’t care at all about art, and old money treat it as an expensive and bright property.
Many -certainly not all, but many- board members donate for the clout, either in their peer group or in their communities, to arts organizations who court them aggressively but about which they may otherwise not give a second thought. Something about the model of donor/audience/board cultivation outside of LA and NY needs to evolve.
This is a remarkable chronicle of a disastrous situation, one that reverberated throughout the orchestral community. Julie Ayer has given us a chronicle of missteps and resilience, one that could have easily destroyed a great institution.
By using the words of the musicians, board members, political leaders, and the music-loving public, much light has been shed on this most devastating of work stoppages.
The overriding message is to find a cooperative spirit between all parties so that mistrust is replaced by honest dialogue, well before any negotiations commence.
I wish my friends of the Minnesota Orchestra a continued healthy pathway forward.
Holy heck. That was a very dark time for music in MN. Sadly, it also marked the decline of the MN Orchestra, with more than one amazing instrumentalist leaving for greener pastures.
Er, is there a link?
I think there’s a book…..
Defying the Silence on Amazon.com
The paperback is available here in the UK on amazon for the bargain price of £49, equivalent to $63! Shame, as I’d like to read it.
Shocked and sorry to learn of that ridiculous price on Amazon UK. The ebook is available and should be more reasonable, I hope.
I’ll try to find out more info
Thank you
The Minnesota problem was the fault of one man, Michael Henson, not The Board.
Also the board’s fault for letting him get away with it!
In a long career covering a variety of the classical arts, it’s my experience that Boards – almost everywhere – whose knowledge of the hows and whys of management of the arts organisations they are supposed to oversee is generally so limited as to be almost non-existent, are mostly to blame for the crises that afflict their organizations. The primary functions of any Board are surely the appointment of its two Chief Officers – the Artistic Director and the CEO, and thereafter the fiscal health of that organisation. Sadly no matter how rich or how experienced in running their own companies they may be, only a very few Board members have a clue about the interpersonal relationships so essential in the arts, and usually the others think they know better. Sure the CEO can be blamed – but who gave him/her his job in the first place and who then failed to fire them?
Bravo! Perfectly stated.
The orchestra still has serious financial problems. Google “Minnesota Orchestra deficit” to read all about it. Something like $20 million in deficits over the last three seasons. I’m not sure anyone there is winning anything. They may just be kicking the can down the road…
The fact that one side has to proclaim a victory over another side when both sides are working for the common good of the institution shows how broken the industry is at this point in the US.
And to be clear, the money saved by management over the 15 month period most likely paid for the subsequent raises that were “won” over the settled contract.
Not really a win so much as a stalemate.
The lockout that began on October 1, 2012, became the longest and most infamous work stoppage in American orchestral labor history. It was NOT a strike. The Minnesota Orchestra members who endured this lockout are heroes to all orchestral musicians.
This book is essential reading for orchestral musicians and board members, as well as those interested in the future of classical music.
Osmo.
There were people in Baltimore who could have benefited from reading this book four years ago. Fortunately, things are looking up now.
This orchestra is running a substantial deficit – actually, one of the largest in the country. So exactly how long this “win” will be celebrated is a question that needs asking and exploring. A short-term victory at best.