Category Archives: Minnesota Orchestra

Since Minnesota Orchestra concerts have just been canceled through April 27…

And since you’ve certainly already signed the petition asking the MOA to Play and Talk…

Want to write some letters and/or emails? I want to make it easy for you.

Some of you have lots of time that you want to devote to lockout activism. Others care deeply, but just don’t have the time. So depending on how much time you have, pick and choose individuals from this list to contact. This could be either a huge project for you, or a little one. You get to choose how much you want to take on. Bonus points if you’re a constituent of any of these guys.

Here’s a sample letter. Feel free to adapt this one or to write your own.

Dear [Politician],

I am writing to express my concern about the effects of the Minnesota Orchestra lockout. This tragedy has been devastating to countless Minnesotans, including thousands of students. If decisive action is not taken soon by our community leaders, one of our greatest cultural institutions will be destroyed.

Please do everything you can to end the lockout. Contact the parties involved (including audience advocacy group Orchestrate Excellence), apply pressure where you can, and use your position of leadership to inform your constituents about the ongoing tragedy.

There is a petition circulating at chn.ge/100cypl . It asks the Minnesota Orchestral Association to resume the season using a portion of the funds it has saved by not paying musicians since October first. Please sign and share.

Sincerely, [Your Name]

Minnesota House of Representatives – http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/members/housemembers.asp

Minnesota Senators – http://www.senate.mn/members/index.php?ls=#header

Governor Dayton – http://mn.gov/governor/contact-us/

Mayor Rybak – http://www.minneapolismn.gov/mayor/contact/index.htm

One of my readers – MaryAnn Goldstein, who you may recognize from the SOTL comment section – is tired of the musical gridlock in the Twin Cities, and so she started a petition asking the MOA to “Play and Talk.” You can sign it here.

Here’s what she wrote:

Since October 1, 2012, the Minnesota Orchestra Association (MOA) has locked out the Musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra, cancelling concerts and educational programs, putting our renowned orchestra, its musicians (who have now begun leaving) and our cultural quality of life in peril. Tens of thousands of Minnesota citizens, including thousands of students, have been negatively impacted by the silence. Michael Henson, MN Orchestra CEO and President, has claimed that the MOA saves over $500,000/ month by locking out the musicians, so at this point, the MOA should have more than enough funds to pay the musicians for the remaining 3 months of the 2012-13 season. As a non-profit organization that receives funding from patrons and the State, the Minnesota Orchestra belongs to the people of Minnesota as well as the Board. Therefore, as music lovers, dedicated music educators, and students who value and miss our world-class, Grammy nominated Minnesota Orchestra, we, the undersigned, ask that the MOA and Board hear our collective voice and reinstate the Minnesota Orchestra 2012-13 season while continuing negotiations with orchestra musicians.

Will this make a difference? I don’t know. (To be brutally honest with you, probably not.) But even if the MOA turns our pleas down, the petition accomplishes several hugely important things:

• it reminds people of the costs of this ongoing conflict;
• it gives people a sense of ownership in the outcome; and
• it presents a positive plausible win-win proposal that everyone should be able to get behind.

Also:

• it can’t hurt.

For those reasons alone, I’d recommend sauntering over to the petition and signing it. And please leave a sentence or two describing why play and talk is important to you.

***

Change.org has several suggestions of how to make petitions count.

• Share the petition with friends and family.
• Share your petition on Facebook.
• Ask people to “like” your Facebook status update about the petition.
• Tweet about the petition.
• Post to your own blog.
• Post as a comment in other relevant blogs.
• Find allies and ask them to sign. In our case, this might consist of music teachers, politicians, business leaders, MOA board members, or other prominent local figures who have a vested interest in the Minnesota Orchestra playing again.
• If you have any other suggestions, leave them in the comment section. Go wild with the brainstorming.

So many of you have asked me “what can I do to help?” And to be honest, I’ve never had a good answer for you besides “don’t stop caring.” But here, finally, is a concrete thing you can do. Sign the petition and spread it. Think of three or five people who you know would be interested, and contact them and ask them to consider signing.

I’m in touch with MaryAnn, and she’ll let me know what’s going on re: the petition. (Brava to her for taking initiative!) You can also follow this Facebook page for updates: “Petition to Ask the Minnesota Orchestra to Play and Talk.” Right now there are plans forming about the delivery of the petition to the MOA, so stay tuned.

As disruptive as it has been to everything else, the Minnesota Orchestra lockout hasn’t stopped time. Consequently, our luxurious new lobby continues its ascent apace…

Looking forward to your re-opening the hall, Coz!

This leaves us to ask questions like:

• Wait, we spent how much on this again?
• How much? I don’t think I heard you correctly
• How much in state money?
• Holy [bleeping] [bleep]
  
• What?
• And the orchestra still isn’t playing?
• When will the orchestra start playing?
• You don’t know?
• How can you not know?
• Will the drinks be good? do we at least know that? because for fifty million, the drinks better be good

And of course the most pressing question of all:

• If there’s no orchestra…can I at least hold my family reunion there?

The Minnesota Orchestral Association might not have an answer to the first ten questions…but that last one? They’ve got you covered!

***

Presenting…

A new Song of the Lark series…

Continue reading →

On the heels of this article, Losses Mounting As Orchestra Lockout Enters Fifth Month, in which we hear yet again how the lockout is wreaking economic havoc, I got to thinking.

In April 2012, the Minnesota Orchestral Association put forth a contract proposal to its musicians. They said the average total compensation per musician (including insurance, etc.) would be $119,000 a year, or $9916 a month. (That number could definitely be disputed, but let’s just take it at face value for now.) According to the musicians’ website, there are 80 musicians in the Minnesota Orchestra not on leave (and with the imminent departure of Pitnarry Shin, it will be 79). That means the MOA acknowledged it could afford to spend $7,139,520 on musician expenses during the nine months of the October 2012 to June 2013 season.

Five months have now passed. Obviously the MOA has paid the musicians nothing during that time, so they should still have that $7,139,520 available to spend on musician compensation this season. Correct?

The MOA says that the average musician received $170,000 in total compensation in 2012, or $14,166 per month. (Once again, I know this number is disputed, but stick with me.) That means every four months the MOA paid out $56,664 in salary and benefits to each of the 80 musicians, resulting in an expense every four months of $4,533,120. At the very most.

To sum: they should have $7,139,520 on hand to spend on musicians. To pay the musicians at their old levels of compensation for four months would cost them, at the very most, $4,533,120. And I wouldn’t be surprised if musicians would be happy to have guaranteed work at levels slightly lower than their 2012 rates as the negotiations continue (although, of course, it would be up to them what rate they would ultimately accept).

Therefore…

There is no financial reason why the MOA can’t play and talk through June.

Ideological? Yes. Practical? No.