PlinkPlankPlunk

Last season (2011 – 2012) the musicians of the San Antonio Symphony did an extraordinary thing. Lacking a new contract, they made a gentlemen’s agreement with the symphony administration to perform the season under the same terms as their previous, expired contract. They did this in hopes of encouraging the momentum new conductor Sebastian Lang Lessing brought to the symphony. Now, with the opening concert of the season on October 5, the players are once again without a contract. Jack Fishman, Symphony CEO and President, was reported as saying the contract negotiations will start “very, very soon”.

The San Antonio Symphony Players Association has a website and a Facebook page. John Clare of Texas Public Radio interviewed the members of the players’ negotiating committee. The full interview can be found at the bottom of this page. On that page you’ll also find a link to the letter the players’ negotiating commitee  sent to the symphony board.

The negotiations cannot start soon enough. The players have shown incredible dedication, sacrifice and patience. We all hope the organization will be able to move forward into an era of stability and fair compensation for these vital members of our arts community.

This entry was posted on August 25, 2012 at 1:46 pm and is filed under Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.