The 6th Season of the Cleveland Orchestra Miami Residency began on January 27, casting a dark shadow on memories of the former Florida Philharmonic Orchestra. The FPO’s final concert was played on May 9, 2003 following an apparent ploy by the orchestra’s board chair Daniel Lewis that was obviously designed to fail. Lewis claimed that the orchestra could face bankruptcy by early May if the public failed to raise $20 million, which naturally never happened. Daniel Lewis is now the Cleveland Orchestra Miami Board Chairman, and yet he still files the annual, corporate reports to keep the Florida Philharmonic name alive … and out of business.
National Discussion, Pete Vriesenga, Symphonic/Classical
The League of American Orchestras (LAO), formerly known as the American Symphony Orchestra League (ASOL) has ramped-up their anti-collective bargaining rhetoric lately. LAO’s latest publication: Fearless Journeys: Innovation in Five American Orchestras is yet another in a string of “new model” discussions that champion this message. The book claims to provide “hard evidence” through a small sample study that orchestras can become more “sustainable” by taking risks and modifying their collective bargaining agreements. Of course there is no mention of the established alternative where the fundamental right to bargain is expressly prohibited as the organization wanders aimlessly to the public trough only to reward their administrators.
National Discussion, Pete Vriesenga, Symphonic/Classical
Bruce Clinton, Jesse Rosen, League of American Orchestras
“Bruce and his wife, Martha, have made a tremendous difference in the many organizations in which they are closely involved, including the symphony orchestras in the three cities in which they maintain homes: Chicago, Denver, and Miami. Their generosity has been showered upon the Colorado Symphony Orchestra here in Denver, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra for their Miami Residency, the New World Symphony and, of course, the League of American Orchestras.”
This draws a stark contrast to the Clinton’s deliberate attempts to shut the CSO down only months ago, and subsequent and continued efforts to undermine the organization for months after they walked away from their responsibilities. The Clinton’s also reneged on their season pledges over their differences with “union work rules,” leaving a sudden and deliberate financial crisis for musicians and community leaders to mop up.
National Discussion, Pete Vriesenga, Symphonic/Classical
Bruce Clinton, League of American Orchestras
As much as they keep trying, resigned CSO board members Heather K Miller and Bruce Clinton are failing to show any evidence that the CSO is holding firm to an unsustainable business model. As board members they were more determined to shut the organization down than take the lead into the future. Rather than accept their personal failings as board members they repeatedly tried to paint “union work rules” as their scapegoat, despite the simple fact that the musicians repeatedly yielded to their demands.
The first spitball was Miller and Clinton’s politically charged editorial, published in the Denver Post on November 13 - two months after they walked away from their responsibilities as board members. Their latest was a December 22nd interview with Mike Rosen on KOA (850 AM). They initially hoped to have the show to themselves, but a CSO board co-chair arranged after the fact to call in during the later part of the show. It wasn’t until that moment on live radio that Miller and Clinton learned of all the good that happened since they walked away, including the CSO’s announcement of a new business plan that was vetted by an inclusive committee and broadly endorsed by the musicians.
In full disclosure, Mike Rosen admitted “I don’t like labor unions” and “haven’t gone to a symphony concert in probably 10 years, maybe longer.” So, this is the perfect forum for Miller and Clinton who chose to put themselves on public display with a talk show host who knows nothing of the subject matter except that he shares their political ideology.
National Discussion, Pete Vriesenga, Symphonic/Classical
Bruce Clinton, Heather Miller, Mike Rosen
The sudden, September exodus of twenty CSO board members will be remembered as a fortuitous change for the better, creating a welcome opening for new and returning leaders who are committed to building the orchestra’s future and maintaining stature as a world-class orchestra. Our community is deeply thankful for this show of support and direction from true patrons of the arts. This was not the case in recent years while the orchestra was under the powerful grip of individuals in pursuit of personal agendas and pointless, anti-union ideology.
National Discussion, Pete Vriesenga, Symphonic/Classical
Bruce Clinton, Cleveland Orchestra, Colorado Symphony, Daniel Lewis, Heather Miller, League of American Orchestras, New World Symphony
By Steve Eulberg
Like many musicians, I have found teaching to be the butter for the bread of performance. Truthfully, the balance between performing and teaching helps me survive as a working musician. I simply love sharing the music with public and private audiences, and equipping them to participate in the creative process.
When I began my private studio I was teaching unusual instruments (mountain and hammered dulcimers, mandolin, bowed psaltery, Irish Bodhran and African hand percussion) as well as guitar. This has turned out to be a good niche for my interests, skills and experience and led to my establishment of the annual Colorado Dulcimer Festival in Fort Collins, which just completed its 7th year. I am also on the road teaching at festivals across the US about once a month, which I link with performances to, from or near the festival region; in short, the life of a touring (and teaching) solo musician.
Electronic Media, National Discussion, The Denver Musician
Hundreds of musicians and their union brothers and sisters formed picket lines and distributed leaflets in front of Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, in protest of Texas Ballet Theater’s canned music policy. Demonstrators inflated a giant rat balloon to draw attention to musicians’ concerns. Demonstrations were held Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March 27, 28 and 29, 2009 prior to the start of the company’s Cleopatra performances.
The ballet company outsourced its orchestra pit during last weekend’s performances of “Canned Cleopatra,” replacing musicians with a recording it made in China.
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Electronic Media, Labor, Legislative, Local Discussion, National Discussion, Symphonic/Classical
an interview with Tom Jensen
It defies all logic and reason how a performing arts organization could even think of presenting classical ballet on the stage of a $400 million facility in a major population center… without orchestra. Sure enough, this very silly show opens this Friday evening, March 27, amid protesting musicians and 50 area labor unions who are uniting to fight this fraud and injustice.
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Feature/Interview, Local Discussion, National Discussion, Symphonic/Classical
The structure of AFM National Agreements (multiple locals - all employers, all worksites) doesn’t exist elsewhere in Labor because it violates even the most fundamental tenets of union democracy. The only way to create an agreement that covers all employers is to establish representation for all AFM members who work in that industry. The AFM attempts to correct this imbalance through Promulgated Agreements that are established by the sole authority of the AFM’s International Executive Board (IEB), but this system has its obvious pitfalls. The IEB is an elected body that is credited for implementing popular agreements, but must also take hits when they rankle the ire of any one segment of the membership.
The controversy du jour is a promulgagted videogame agreement. This has triggered an unjust attack against AFM president Tom Lee , ripe with sensationalist drama that has been pitched to the press on a weekly basis. If that’s not enough, this dispute has led to two class action lawsuits filed against the AFM.
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Electronic Media, Labor, National Discussion, Symphonic/Classical
Ballet Company Replacing Musicians with Recordings it Made in China
Company outsourced culture, is an artistic fraud and consumer rip-off, Musicians say
In June, 2008, the artistic staff of a Fort Worth ballet company traveled to Shanghai, paid $30,000.00 to the government of China and killed the jobs of our members. Join with us March 27, 28 and 29 as we converge on Bass Hall in Downtown Fort Worth to protest one of the most deplorable acts ever staged in the history of classical ballet theater.
Labor, Legislative, National Discussion, Symphonic/Classical
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