Orchestra Hall

[Wedgeguy]

There is hope. They are having former Senator George Mitchell mediate the labor dispute. He helped negotiate peace in Northern Ireland, and I think he has met his match with a similar challenge here
http://www.startribune.com/entertainmen ... 71301.html

So far they have not shot at each other is the only difference.

[mullen]

the stone looks better than I had expected.

[seanrichardryan]

Perhaps Chris Colman could come over and negotiate since our own Mayor seems to be avoiding the conflict.

[mullen]

i was part of a tour of the renovated hall. no pictures were allowed unfortunately. the exterior signage was installed yesterday. you defintely will know what this building is. 1111 nicollet mall address promiently displayed. there is a new outdoor terrace space for the hall overlooking peavey plaza. the new spaces are elegant. the lobby will be a lit up jewel box at night. tons of glass through with amazing views of the city. really spacious exterior terrace off the skyway level overlooking peavey plaza (hopefully someday renovated). white granite flecked floors throughout all levels. new bathrooms and huge bar areas on main and skyway level. they've added a new large atrium space,(sponsored by Target, of course) for special events and group rentals that juts into the plaza. fireplace on one end and wood covered walls. new escalator up the skyway level and through to the parking ramp across the street. and or course they add some new bathrooms. a new commissioned art installation will cover the ceiling east/west across the main lobby space facing 11th st. the lobby is just really huge...defenitely a wow factor here.

the auditorium itself was given new seats with black fabric. there is approx 400 some fewer seats. new stage floor. balconies have been painted a dark grey. they have painted the background of the iconic hall ceiling with its cubes a light blue which extends to the back of the stage. has a sky blue effect now. they have a new middle aisle space for patrons to move about and for wheelchair seating. the integrity of this space in intact though. hopefully the acoustics are just as wonderful.

now all they need is for a world class orchestra to play in this wonderfully refreshed building. yea, there's just that one minor detail. i can see the space being popular for rentals, though, when the orchestra isn't playing.

[Avian]

Perhaps the Orchestra Board is hoping to lure the Boise Symphony Orchestra here to replace ours.

[John]

Perhaps the Orchestra Board is hoping to lure the Boise Symphony Orchestra here to replace ours.

No , they have former Senator Mitchell as mediator and I think there will be a resolution. However, maybe we need him to also negotiate the renovation of Peavey Plaza

Addendum: I contacted the MN Orchestra today and they will start public tours of the facility in September (theoretically, when they have reached a contract agreement with the musicians) . I will update the thread at a later date with tour times for anybody interested.

[John]

They've just installed three glass light sculptures hung from the lobby's ceiling. They were were lit up as I walked by it today. Quite striking with their wildly complex composition of etched glass ribbons wrapping around each other. If anybody is near Orchesra Hall this weekend it's definitely worth a look.

[mullen]

thanks for the info. i had seen a drawing of what would be installed. lovely lobby now. article in the strib today notes that it's looking like a labor day deadline to resolve this. if not then goodbye osmo vanska. more musicians will find other work. we'll have a beautiful building hosting weddings, graduations and the occasional show that doesn't require the orchestra.

[Wedgeguy]

Time to get a new orchestra board if that happen and the old one should be put on a billboards of shame around the city.

[seanrichardryan]

... we'll have a beautiful building hosting weddings, graduations and the occasional show that doesn't require the orchestra.

That was kind of the point. Add a banquet facility to increase revenues.

[talindsay]

... we'll have a beautiful building hosting weddings, graduations and the occasional show that doesn't require the orchestra.

That was kind of the point. Add a banquet facility to increase revenues.

They could just shorten the name to "Hall". Shame on the lot of them, it was pretty sleazy the way the board manipulated the orchestra's finances to do this project while also screwing the musicians. They knew that if their books had been in the red, the donations would have been earmarked for operations and salaries instead of capital projects.

[mullen]

the point was also to accomodate patrons attending orchestra performances. the old lobby was only intended to be a temporary structure. cramped, leaky, inadequate restroom facilities and a 70's relic. this new lobby was sorely needed and the claim that somehow the board is spending money that should go to musicians is not correct. it's different pots of money. fundraising was done for facilities on a separate track.

the new addtion that juts into peavy plaza will be mainly used as a rental space i believe.

[MNdible]

I'd note that in this case, the evil board is made up of the very same people who donate the most money to fund the ongoing operations of the Orchestra. They're not lining their pockets on the backs of the proletariat (well, at least not in their role as Orchestra board members).

Ticket sales cover only a very small portion of the costs of running the Orchestra. It is a vast money losing operation kept afloat by the generosity of wealthy donors.

And speaking of the proletariat, how many of them are pulling down six figures like most of the Orchestra musicians?

[seanrichardryan]

And speaking of the proletariat, how many of them are pulling down six figures like most of the Orchestra musicians?

I'd say most of them, with quite a few in the seven figures. (excluding the honorary members.)
http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/about ... -directors

[woofner]

I'd note that in this case, the evil board is made up of the very same people who donate the most money to fund the ongoing operations of the Orchestra. They're not lining their pockets on the backs of the proletariat (well, at least not in their role as Orchestra board members).

Ticket sales cover only a very small portion of the costs of running the Orchestra. It is a vast money losing operation kept afloat by the generosity of wealthy donors.

Right, the board is made up of members of the local aristocratic and political classes. Sure, they donate a lot to the orchestra out of a cava-fuzzed nostalgia for the good old days of philanthropy, but does that mean they care about it? The ones who manage to be actively involved in their family business rather than just drawing checks from it have plenty of experience cutting wages and antagonizing labor, so we shouldn't be surprised that they settled on this strategy.

And speaking of the proletariat, how many of them are pulling down six figures like most of the Orchestra musicians?

Please don't pretend that professional musicianship isn't a highly skilled trade. If we accept that the degree of specialization should somewhat correspond with level of compensation, we should find six figures appropriate for these musicians. Maybe it's not as specialized as being born into wealth or political power, but it is something.

[talindsay]

this new lobby was sorely needed and the claim that somehow the board is spending money that should go to musicians is not correct. it's different pots of money. fundraising was done for facilities on a separate track.

Right, but it's the same potential donors, and they pulled down money from the endowment to hide the operational shortfall while fundraising so that potential donors would choose to donate to the capital fund instead of the operational fund - had it been evident that there was a structural deficit in operations, many of the donors might have chosen to put their money into operations, and the board manipulated the books for this reason. It was a decision to plug the operating gap from the endowment until the lobby was under construction, and then allow the entirety of the operating shortfall to hit in one year. It's probably not illegal but it's definitely an underhanded maneuver.

[MNdible]

And speaking of the proletariat, how many of them are pulling down six figures like most of the Orchestra musicians?

I'd say most of them, with quite a few in the seven figures. (excluding the honorary members.)
http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/about ... -directors

To be clear, I was referring to the proletariat making six figures, not the board. My point was that highly skilled, highly paid professionals are not the typical union membership.

I'm not trying to oppose the musicians, just to note that this isn't the typical union vs. corporation strike situation, which may be why you haven't seen a lot of Teamsters coming to the defense of the musicians.

[John]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think September 9th is the deadline to negotiate a contract. If they come to an agreement , it may happen at the bitter end . If the Orchestra dismantles, it will be a huge loss for this community. It would be yet another sign of what I fear is our city's decline in civility which it used to be so renowned for.

[Avian]

From a July, 2010 article on Michael Henson on the Mn Orch's website - which now, oddly, has been the only article to have been deleted:

"The former Bournemouth Symphony head is strategising his way through the recession – and winning.

There’s no single strategy to beating the downturn,’ Michael Henson asserts. ‘There has to be a whole series of strategies to maintain a focused approach. The priority is continuing the excellence in the artistic work.’ With orchestras across the US hard hit by the recession – and management strategies the number-one talking point at the League of American Orchestras’ conference in June – the Minnesota Orchestra stands out as a beacon institution among the bad news. It’s planning a European tour in August (its second in two years), expanding its online content and starting a large-scale renovation project at its home venue – having recently announced the end of a highly successful fundraising scheme. "

Later...

"It also bodes well for the orchestra’s more long-term fundraising programme, “Building for the Future”, which aims to supplement its endowment by $30m, and provide a further $30m for artistic and educational endeavours. Including the renovation funding, the campaign has raised $82m of its $100m target. “Even though we’re in a recession, we have to keep up the commitment to the long-term vision,” Henson continues. ”The board agreed to take the risk on this.” "

This certainly seems to contradict Henson's own statement last Fall that the orchestra has “significant financial issues and unsustainable fiscal practices.”

Quite a surprising turnaround, eh?

To Henson's credit, he took a 7% pay cut. Gee, that's nice. But he demanded a 10% pay cut from Osmo Vanska and a 30%-50% pay cut for the musicians.

[Didier]

I'm curious if there are professional musician jobs out there that are better than the MN Orchestra with a 30 percent pay cut. Like, is the Columbus Orchestra hiring violinists for better salaries right now? Can anyone shed light on this?

I'm not trying to be a troll, but it just seems that if a 30 percent pay cut was drastically below market value then the musicians would have a lot more leverage. As far as I know a few musicians have left but there's been no threat of an exodus.

I know it sucks to take a 30 percent pay cut, but it seems that we also have to consider that the demand for a fancy orchestra is propped up by the 1 percent, and maybe professional musicians just aren't valued as high as they once were?

Of course I could be totally missing the forest for the trees and the issues are much more nuanced than this. I'm mostly just curious to hear if there's more to the story.