On Friday, representatives of Save Our Symphony Minnesota (SOSMN), along with a few dozen of their closest friends, came together on very short notice to rally outside Minneapolis’s Hall.
That evening, as the lockout of the Minnesota Orchestra musicians entered its twelfth month, the Minnesota Orchestral Association hosted an exclusive “Private Patron Party” in the brand new $50 million lobby. (You can see the white table and chairs set up above the “Orchestra Hall” sign.) If you paid $750 or more for a ticket to September 20th’s Symphony Ball, you also gained entrance to the Private Patron Party. On Friday night, the Private Patrons came via glass climate-controlled skyways, looked down on the plebian “malcontents” (as one party-goer called the crowd in the Minneapolis Star Tribune comment section), and continued onto their exclusive soiree.
The SOSMN event was not meant to disturb the party. (Trust me, SOSMN would have planned things very differently if disturbing the party had been the goal.) Rather, the event was meant to raise awareness of the situation, give supporters a way to network and make their voices heard, and inform the board that the community cares about this orchestra, desperately, and that we are ready and willing to have a substantive two-way conversation about what the audience can do to help, and what we think the board needs to do differently. Over the past eleven months, zero meaningful interaction has occurred between the community and board. The vast majority of the public’s emails, phone calls, and letters have gone unanswered. Therefore, many reasonable, level-headed patrons have come together, talked, and agreed that an energetic physical presence outside the hall is the next logical step to take in an attempt to engage with MOA leadership.
Well, Minnesota Orchestra CEO Michael Henson had something to say about this most recent development.
Song of the Lark 