San Francisco sinking
OrchestrasMembers of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus voted unanimously last night to authorize a strike. The vote polled 98.1% of eligible members. The first strike is likely to hit Verdi’s Requiem on Thursday.
The orchestra management wants to cut chorus fees by 65%.
The only question is whether the choristers start their strike before the musicians vote on action of their own.
Trouble at Mill….
“The only question is whether the choristers start their strike before the musicians vote on action of their own”? Surely you meant to say choristers and instrumentalists or orchestra members, didn’t you? Choristers ARE musicians.
This an age-old problem re: relegating singers (vocal musicians!) to a lower class. Some of the most powerful works require a strong chorus. Do we really want to lose the best of Brahms, Beethoven, Mozart, Verdi, etc. ?
The orchestra is still in contract through November so they can’t strike before then except honoring the chorus picket line for those specific concerts. AGMA represents the singers and AFM the players and they’re on different contract schedules.
There are 30 professional singers (eligible members, above) in the 152-member Symphony Chorus, though most of the volunteer members of the Chorus say they would respect a picket line.
The San Francisco Symphony is in a tough position. The musicians and choristers understandably want more resources and support, but the financial strain on these organizations is immense. These institutions rely heavily on donor generosity and public funding, and they’re also tasked with presenting world-class performances. It’s a challenging balancing act.
The chorus, while highly skilled and unionized, is one of the most unnecessarily expensive elements of the organization, especially when you compare it to community choruses found in many other major cities. Unfortunately, for management, that’s a tough expense to justify, especially when the public may not fully appreciate the difference between a professional chorus and a community one. The musicians, supported by charity, risk appearing ungrateful to the very donors who make their careers possible.
It’s an unfortunate reality, but something’s got to give. Whether it’s through cutting costs or restructuring, the financial health of the symphony must come first if it’s to survive long term.
Is the jobs of the stewards of the orchestra to ensure it exists for decades to come? Or is it to bleed itself dry paying incredibly highly paid people even more?
instead of a strike, they could get a second job at Target.