Posted on 09/30/2016 9:00:01 PM PDT by Enchante
The Fabulous Philadelphians are on strike.
Friday night, a crowd of about 1,000 sat in Verizon Hall waiting for the orchestra to appear for the scheduled start of the Opening Night Gala.
But no Philadelphia Orchestra appeared on stage. Unbeknownst to most in the audience, the 96 musicians and two librarians belonging to American Federation of Musicians Local 77 had decided to go out on strike about an hour before curtain time.
Finally, about 20 minutes after the scheduled start, orchestra president Allison B. Vulgamore came out on stage to say that no labor agreement was in place for "one of the world's greatest orchestras, if not the greatest," and the performance would not happen.
Last-minute efforts to save the concert were launched backstage. Both sides tried to hammer out an agreement even well after the 7 p.m. curtain time, but those talks failed.
When the entire audience had filed out, musicians came out from backstage into the lobby of the Kimmel Center carrying picket signs. Audience members applauded and cheered them, while several philanthropists and members of local arts boards booed.
(Excerpt) Read more at philly.com ...
They just gave all their big donors and season subscribers a huge kick in the teeth, in person, since the Opening Gala is attended by many of the donors and season subscribers.
It will be interesting to see whether that arouses more donations or causes donors to walk. I would say “Sayonora, baby!”
I’m only an occasional concert goer, but if I were a donor I would tell them “F-off, there are many other calls for my money and time!”
CDs and a good stereo system provide an excellent experience without even having to burn fossil fuels to go to Symphony Hall.
Yup. Great home stereo system with the greatest live concerts on a variety of media. Don’t need ‘em.
yup, I listen to classical music a lot but feel less and less motivated to go downtown for a live concert.... greedy musicians will make me even less motivated. This orchestra just emerged from bankruptcy and the musicians should be grateful to have such high paying jobs, period. When so many tens of millions of Americans are struggling, including members of my own family, my sympathy level for people whose minimum salary is $128K is low indeed.
I’m torn. I studied music for years and know what it takes to make beautiful songs come to life. I couldn’t, no matter how hard I tried. But I’m glad that the system worked. They were allowed to strike, they did, and paid the price. We’ll have to watch what happens now.
If they’re really that short of funding let them stop sending out so many mailers to potential attendees - we get at least three fifty-or-so page full-color, photo-packed catalogues of their full year concert schedule annually plus monthly four or six page pamphlets of what’s coming up in the next few weeks - and we’ve attended only three of their concerts in the last four years - save a few dollars and stop sending out so much advertising literature - please.....
I happen to agree. My daughter plays violin and sings classical voice. It is so much lonely work, hours every day. I feel that free market forces should ultimately drive demand and hence services rendered, even if that means we end up with Michael Jackson instead of Mozart. Since we do however live in a free country they have the right to strike. As an aside our whole family got the chance to see this orchestra perform in Vail this past summer and it was a fantastic experience, and while Bose makes a good sound system it really is best live.
$128,000 isn’t enough? Tough.Millions of Americans would be overjoyed to be paid half that salary.
That is so disrespectful. And childish to boot.
I must have missed how the "paid the price".
How dare you question Lady Vulgamore, you filthy mud-blood!
They have the right to strike and the public has the right to ignore them. I was on the verge of buying tickets for my family to a couple of their concerts this season (that’s why I noticed the article about their strike), now I won’t. I think they are paid quite well, certainly I know plenty of people who are struggling by on only small fractions of $128K per year, and I have other things to do with my money and time.
I don’t at all begrudge classical musicians six-figure salaries, but these folks have that already, they are simply clawing for more.
Woof woof woof...
Many of these musicians also earn a very handsome supplemental income by teaching, often at $30/hour or more.
"Hey Joe"- London Symphony Orchestra
"Hey Joe, where you going with that gun in your hand..."
I think it sad that world class classical musicians are only getting paid $128K while rappers are making millions.
But on the other hand being a free market capitalist if the Philadelphia Orchestra cannot draw more than 1000 fans to their opening night then perhaps they should fold up shop.
But in this there is a lesson on the decline of our culture that a depraved and simplistic art form that is rap is raking in millions while an uplifting and complex art form that is classical music is about to file for bankruptcy and fade in to oblivion.
Western culture is an endangered species.
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