Well, let’s see what the news is today, Tuesday January 14 year of our Lord 2014…
*ambles over to Google News*
Obama to Place Restraints on Surveillance. Interesting…
Some rumblings about net neutrality. Compelling…
Why Journalists Frighten Putin. Haha. Haha, yeah. Dictators better beware of the power of writers…
…There’s apparently now a first-person cat simulator…
Oh, yeah, and the lockout of the Minnesota Orchestra musicians is over.
***
Um, so, I don’t really know what to say tonight besides thank you. Thank you to everyone. I didn’t have anything prepared to say tonight (no, duh). In all honesty, if I’d been forced to make a prediction at gunpoint, even a week ago, I’d have said another six to twelve months will pass, my friends and idols will ultimately be forced to their knees, Save Our Symphony Minnesota will fizzle out, and I’ll enter my twenty-fifth year as a total cynic who will forevermore hate orchestras and everything associated with them. (It was not a future I was particularly anticipating.)
But…that didn’t happen.
The contract on the table isn’t perfect by any means, but if you were expecting a perfect contract, you were always going to be let down.
We saved the Minnesota Orchestra and we saved it together. Because of our work, the Minnesota Orchestra will not die.
However, the new business model did. We killed it, and we killed it together.
But. Now we have to create the model that will replace it. And that’s where the hard work will come in.
Are you ready for that?
Tonight is not the end. In fact, it is only a chance to have a new beginning.
But in the meantime, I think we’re allowed to celebrate how far we’ve come, and think with hope of a better future.
***
Song of the Lark 
What a great, but partial, sense of satisfaction! I feel good about every dollar I contributed to LOMOMO and spent on tickets for their concerts.
Partial, because until Osmo is back, they won’t be the same orchestra. Now we need to let the MOA know that they must turn over every rock to get him to come back to his orchestra. Then our struggle will be ended.
The “new business model” is not dead as long as the previous governance is in place. It is not even a partial victory while the people who engineered this union-busting are politically in power on the board. The new arrangement will fail if people of such lack of vision are still in power; how could those who wanted to destroy an orchestra, possibly build it up again?
Actually I believe that for a variety of reasons it is dead, *at least during this contract*, but of course your mileage may vary. My position will require a long essay to back up, however, and I don’t have the energy to write it now. Maybe later.
However, long-term leadership change will, of course, be paramount. Of course.
Thank you, Emily, for your wonderful posts through this difficult time.
This makes me so happy. And yes, you’re so right–it’s time now for the hard work. Bring it on. And thanks so very much for all of the posts and insights all these months. It’s helped me keep in touch from the west coast.
Seconding the motion that getting Osmo back has to be the next priority and with some urgency. This may take some pressure from the various fan groups. Perhaps a petition drive?
Good news: – But now the hard work does begin. First rebuild the orchestra. Then maximize its world wide reputation selling virtual seats around the world. The old model is dead and no concert hall is big enough. So there have to be sales outside the concert Hall. The outsiders are by far the largest audience anyway, and need serious courting.
I’m so relieved! But, yes, there is still much work to be done. I think one of the main things we need to do, somehow, is change the governance structure of the MOA so that it is more democratic. We need an elected board, not a self-appointing one.
I just want to leave a big Thank you to Emily Hogstad for your tireless work, your ability to stick to the task, your excellent writing and computer skills, and (Of course) your ability to bring us all together for THE MUSIC and the MUSICIANS. Without you I don’t know how we would have made this work. Congratulations, Emily.
I think there’s a serious question yet to be resolved as to how the Board and the MOA go about regaining the trust of the contributing community, after amply having demonstrated during the lockout that they “know the price of everything and the value of nothing” (thanks Oscar). They need to demonstrate through their actions that they’re ready to become worthy stewards of contributors’ dollars; right now I wouldn’t trust them with a plugged nickel of my money. I hope the musicians’ community has been (or will be) developing strategies to employ when the MOA starts backsliding into its old ways (which it has never repudiated). So, relief and celebration perhaps; but also, due diligence and watchful waiting for the MOA to really uphold its end.
It is a bit maddening to think it had to go on for so long but I also think it’s best to keep in mind that sometimes the best kind of leader and leadership is born in the worst kind of conditions.
And Osmo will be back. It wouldn’t be the same without him. He will.
Thank you, Emily, for your great writing. I looked forward to and enjoyed all of your blogs. I too think we need to keep together to make a change in the workings of the board. The MIA had members voting on the slate of board members. We need a way to get this achieved. Probably more letters to legislators. Also I am nervous about what the board is doing about asking Osmo Vanska back. They seem to be dragging their feet over this. A petition might be in order. Or, maybe SOSMN could set up a table in the new lobby during the first concert and have a lot of cards for people to sigh asking for Vanska to be offered a contract again. (Can you imagine that happening?) Stick with your blog, Emily. You write very well.
Emily
Emily–Could you please reprint the email addresses for the MOA Board so we can send them letters telling them how important it is to us that Osmo be rehired? Tried to find your post that had them, but couldn’t. Thanks!
That was actually a Minnesota Orchestra Musicians’ blog entry! http://www.minnesotaorchestramusicians.org/letter-of-support/ Hope that helps.
If it is the Board or Administration you wish to reach go to http://www.mnorch.org
click on “about” and pull up “Board and Administration.”
Thank you so much!
Soooo interesting! I just started to send out individual emails to the directors urging Vanska’s return, and every single one I tried came back as undeliverable! So I’ve sent my comments to Lee Henderson. But can this be a coincidence?
I can confirm that at least two board member email addresses on the musicians’ list are still correct and current – and I’m sure more are, as well – so if every single email you sent came back, it appears the problem may be on your end. There was no unanimous changing of board members’ email addresses…although I wouldn’t be surprised in such a large group of people if some have changed. Hope that helps.