San Fran chorus hints at strike
OrchestrasMessage received:
Sent on behalf of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus
We, the members of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, are reaching out to our friends and supporters to express our deep, ongoing concern about Management’s proposal to make an 80% budget cut to our Chorus. These cuts threaten 32 jobs and will reverberate throughout the Bay Area performing arts community. All members of the Chorus, including the 120+ unpaid members, urge the Symphony’s leaders to work with the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) to reach a fair contract. The union contract has expired and we don’t restart negotiations again until August 27. It’s important to resolve this dispute quickly to avoid season disruptions like work stoppages or picketing, which would affect both us and the Symphony’s audience. The clock is most definitely ticking.
Here’s where we need your help:
We need your help to protect these choral jobs and the Arts in the Bay Area. Please send letters to the Symphony’s leadership and Board, asking them to negotiate fairly and keep the chorus intact.
It is sad. It sounds like it’s another numbers crunching scenario and trying to balance their budget/reduce the deficit. Orchestral works with chorus generally cost significantly more money, as we know.
Do most orchestras at the San Francisco tier have permanent chorus members (versus freelance)?
I’m just wondering if strikes are common or not?
I think in the US most symphony choruses are a mix, with a core of paid choristers and a larger body of trained volunteers for bigger works
Wow. The optics in SF look absolutely atrocious these days. You have the board/administration saying there are (massive) deficits, they are cutting educational concerts, reducing their highly innovative and creative SoundBox concerts, reducing salaries for the orchestra, have many positions in the orchestra (and administration) they need to fill, they have a $300+ million dollar endowment, they are reducing the choir’s budget by 80%, not to mention their world reknown conductor in Esa Pekka Salonen is walking away from his contract….AND they want to spend $100 million on a new hall? Yikes.
Not good SFS, not good.
While it seems like $100 for the chorus is exactly like $100 for the orchestra is exactly like $100 for the hall, it ain’t necessarily so. Donors are often more easily persuaded to give for something that lasts (and might have their name on it)…getting them excited about paying for part of someone’s paycheck, not necessarily so easy. This state of affairs is not limited to performing arts organizations!
Seems insulting to the chorus to propose cuts of 80% while bookending your season with Verdi’s Requiem and Mahler 2.
Exactly. It’s not a coincidence they programed those and are starting the season with 2 weeks of chorus. Yet they won’t restart negotiation talks until just days before the season. It’s as if they WANT the chorus and orchestra to strike……
The SFS board needs to wake up and fast.