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Columbus Symphony Musicians Approve 3-Year Contract
Sam Hendren, WOSU Reporter
Columbus Symphony musicians on Monday approved a 3-year contract with the CSO board. Principal Tuba player Jim Akins says under the new contract, the orchestra will maintain all 53 musicians, but the season will be shortened and salaries reduced.
Representatives of the orchestra’s musicians describe the contract as “a lifeboat.” The orchestra’s Jim Akins says musicians were out of options.
The contract’s approval means salaries will drop from an average of $55,000 to about $34,000, for the current, abbreviated 31 week season. For clarinetist David Thomas, the cut in pay is the breaking point.
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- Symphony shuts down for summer, future in doubt
i mean yeah he came across as arrogant we all know that but hes a good clarinettist..i know hes an elite like obama and everyone who goes to starbucks but shouldnt there be more to life than wal mart ,stone gooses,and chris daughtry??im just happy the symphony will be playing i know ill be there but why would the ohio theatre be too expensive..they should let the symphony or any other arts org play free less cost..city center is dead and now the ohio theatre
Completely ignoring the rancor of the previous posts, when will the concert schedule be announced? Can I put in a plea for Firebird Suite or anything by Stravinsky? That would REALLY get me out to a performance!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
BY JEFFREY SHEBAN
The Columbus Symphony will take the stage in October after musicians and managers agreed late yesterday to a three-year contract.
The votes by the orchestra’s board of trustees and musicians ends an impasse that canceled the summer pops concerts and threatened the entire 2008-09 season.
The contract retains 53 full-time musicians but reduces their pay, shortens the performance season and moves some concerts from the Ohio Theatre to Veterans Memorial Auditorium.
Both sides expressed relief that the season is being salvaged.
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On that Friday in January, those private questions would be answered in an unusually public way. No one knew it, but the fiddler standing against a bare wall outside the Metro in an indoor arcade at the top of the escalators was one of the finest classical musicians in the world, playing some of the most elegant music ever written on one of the most valuable violins ever made. His performance was arranged by The Washington Post as an experiment in context, perception and priorities — as well as an unblinking assessment of public taste: In a banal setting at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?
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On that Friday in January, those private questions would be answered in an unusually public way. No one knew it, but the fiddler standing against a bare wall outside the Metro in an indoor arcade at the top of the escalators was one of the finest classical musicians in the world, playing some of the most elegant music ever written on one of the most valuable violins ever made. His performance was arranged by The Washington Post as an experiment in context, perception and priorities — as well as an unblinking assessment of public taste: In a banal setting at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?
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Let’s see ‘em try that experiment with a clarinetist! :D
This is just delaying the inevitable death of the patient.
Saying ‘we R el1te, l15t3n 2 s d00d’ just isn’t going to cut it. While classical music may be the best in the world, that and 1.50$ will get you a cup of coffee. Like a restaurant that has incredible food but haughty airs and shitty service, you are going to and deserve to crash out if you can’t connect with your customers. Puffing out your chest or berating a potential audience and making Walmart cracks is going to put butts in seats.
The Josh Bell thing is amusing (especially if you see the film of the Mom doing the block-the-child’s-view shuffle), but really only serves for the chattering classes to chatter about how clever they are.
A.
I get that vibe too…like the whole point was to show how uncultured the unwashed masses are. Hey, sometimes you just gotta get to work. Aristotle could be holding court out on the sidewalk, but if I’m late, I’m gonna squeeze by and get in & do my thing.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
The resolution of a months-long contract dispute at the Columbus Symphony Orchestra has prompted the Greater Columbus Arts Council to unlock more than $180,000 in operating support.
The council on Wednesday authorized payment for an operating support grant totaling $183,816 for the symphony. The move comes weeks after the symphony’s board and its musicians reached a deal on a three-year contract that extends to Aug. 31, 2011.
The council has supported the symphony through operating or project grants since the early 1970s, most recently disbursing $261,418 in 2007 and about $250,000 the year before. Budget troubles and contentious contract talks, however, led the council this year to defer a decision on a funding application the symphony had submitted. The council in May awarded more than $2.3 million to 18 organizations in May as the prospect of a fall season for the symphony was uncertain.
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Wednesday, October 8, 2008
BY NANCY GILSON
The Columbus Symphony will soon have a new leader to go with its new season.
Martin Inglis, chief financial officer at Battelle, will replace Robert “Buzz” Trafford as chairman of the symphony board on Oct. 21.
The switch comes as the symphony relaunches its season after months of silence caused by an impasse between management and musicians.
“We have a large challenge ahead,” said Inglis, 58. “In this financial environment, I can’t think of a more difficult time to be relaunching anything.”
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The symphony has performed the Firebird Finale or Suite at least once a season for the past few years of indoor and outdoor shows. I’m sure it will resurface again.
Here’s more info about what’s coming up. As a [former] trumpeter, I’m looking forward to the Chris Botti pops show. No word on whether or not Junichi will be back for the classical shows.
Dispatch Article
As far as DT’s comments…well, they sound arrogant, but he’s right. In the symphony world, that’s pretty underpaid. It’s probably more in line with the Columbus market’s demand, but his reference point is from the past and/or of similar markets that support their symphonies much better.
The CSO is going to lose many of its most talented musicians, but this may be for the better. Columbus will get the symphony it deserves…and the CSO will probably be more sustainable for it.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Columbus Symphony Orchestra musicians will take to the stage Dec. 5 for the group’s Holiday Pops series, the beginning of a season that almost wasn’t just months ago.
The group on Sunday released details of its 2008-09 schedule, which starts with the 25th-annual holiday series. The symphony’s official opening night performance will take place Jan. 10 at Franklin County Veterans Memorial Auditorium, featuring composer Gustav Holst’s popular “The Planets†suite narrated by former astronaut and U.S. Sen. John Glenn.
For more details on the symphony, and to view the full listing of this season’s events, click here.
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