Klarinet Archive - Posting 000615.txt from 1999/11

From: "Dodgshun family" <dodgshun@-----.nz>
Subj: Re: [kl] Atlanta Ballet Orchestra Strike Update
Date: Mon, 15 Nov 1999 20:08:43 -0500

> Here is information that was posted today on the Trombone-L Mailing List,
> regarding the current musicians' strike against the Atlanta Ballet. There
> are two press releases.

This is very interesting. We have similar (well, not really, but close
enough) BIG problems here with our local semi-professional (a group of core
salaried players, the rest are paid by the hour as they're needed)
orchestra, the Christchurch Symphony, right now. Learning from the
principal clarinet, as I do, I get to hear a lot about it, and there's also
been mass publicity. The orchestra is direly short of money (we're looking
at a NZ$35,000 loss this year, on top of losses for about the last decade)
and a major sponsor has pulled out. They've already cut rehearsal time down
below what is really needed in an effort to save money, and are playing with
reduced string sections. So, the general manager (a non-musician) has fired
the artistic director (who's also the pianist for the orchestra, and has
been the backbone of a lot of what they've done for years now), her
assistant, who also ran rehearsals, organised music etc etc, and the stage
manager. I should explain that the stage manager has been with the group
for seven years and has never missed a single performance. Everybody who
has anything to do with the CS knows "Symphony Syd"; he's practically a
fixture. Now the principal second violin, who is the ex-artistic director's
husband, has pulled out as well, and according to Symphony Syd, who I had a
talk to last week, it's only going to go on and get worse. The manager had
the nerve to say that the artistic director had been working subversively to
pull the orchestra down, which was WAY out of line. How can an orchestra
cope without an artistic director (there's no one official conductor) and a
stage manager? Does this kind of thing happen anywhere except Christchurch?
They're desperate for solutions, and I think there's going to be a crisis in
the near future. I was planning on auditioning next year, but I'm wondering
if there'll be a group for me to audition for. It'd be a tragedy for
Christchurch if the group collapsed, but anything else looks as if it'll be
hard to achieve right now.

Anna

PS If the Atlanta Ballet is really stuck, I'd be more than happy to play!
<g> :)

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org