ChicagoSymmusicians authorize strike4March 10 ifno agreement

[trumpetera]

[HERMOKIWI]

[MrClean]

The CSO really is a cut above most orchestras out there. Whether or not the average listener can discriminate the difference in quality is not the issue here. In a world in which bean counters are so quick to reduce every decision down to dollars and cents, where there is so little regard for quality, we need to celebrate an example of what every other orchestra should strive to be. Not every band can reach that level, but its mere presence elevates everyone else, because it shows what is possible - they are standard-bearers, worth fighting for. As expensive as it may be to maintain that level of excellence, it would be nearly impossible to try to duplicate it, or try to rebuild it if it is compromised.

Musicians are like anyone else - while we are devoted to our craft, we like creature comforts. It is nice being able to make long-term decisions like taking on a mortgage or car loan, or planning for retirement. We are all very aware of what peer orchestras are offering in terms of salary and benefits. If the CSO slips far enough behind (and they are well on their way), these excellent musicians will audition for and most likely win positions with other orchestras. The further the gap, the more of the membership will peal off. It used to be that orchestras like mine would lose people to the CSO, but in recent years we are seeing the opposite. From a selfish point of view, I am not complaining, because they are top-drawer players and great colleagues, but...

I understand as a businessman your perspective is different than mine, and I’m not naive enough to think that we can disregard the financial component and deficit spend. However, a much greater piece of the decision-making process needs to be devoted to quality of the product. Many of the folks that serve on the boards and in management are focused primarily on bottom line. The board folks are experts in whatever field made them rich, and unfortunately think that makes them experts in classical music, too. They often have very little understanding of what it took to get the CSO to where it is today, and assume that the widgets that run the machinery can be swapped in and out with the thousands of other widgets that are dying for jobs. There is a reason the other widgets are standing outside of Orchestra Hall rather than in it. It would be stupid to think that Chicago concert goers would be willing to pay the same for a compromised product. These are educated listeners that are spoiled from decades of music-making at the highest level. Cut the product? Be prepared to cut the price of admission.
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Jim Wilt
LA Philharmonic
Colburn School

[JenTrumpet]

So do the members and employees of your “3 successful businesses” know that they don’t matter and can be replaced if it comes down to money issues?

And if you think that’s a ridiculous statement, then you understand some of our viewpoints.

[OldSchoolEuph]

[JayV]

Question: does the CSO participate in the AFM combined pension or do they have their own fund? If they participate in the AFM pension, maybe it's a good idea for them to pull out of that seeing as how they've been sending out an email every two weeks for the last 2 years with an update about how it's in "catastrophic failure" lol.

Also, yes, there are plenty of talented and experienced players who would be happy to play for >$160k plus full benefits but NONE of them are going to cross a picket line. There's enough talent to form an entirely new top orchestra, but it wouldn't be the CSO, it would be an unrelated ensemble. The process of setting up this new ensemble would be extremely expensive and time consuming, much more so than fair negotiations with the current musicians.

[JoseLindE4]

At least they aren’t putting out ads on Craigslist for scabs like the Louisville Orchestra did a while back. A scab orchestra would be a disaster.

Saving money isn’t always a good business decision. If you ran one of the finest restaurants in the world and very publicly switched to canned ingredients, the savings might end up hurting the bottom line. In many fields, there’s money in being the best and money in being the cheapest but not always money in being the okayist.

I honestly find it preposterous that any of the top orchestras in the world would hit dire financial times outside of a major recession. The CSO is maybe the most famous orchestra in the world; if you can’t sell that maybe you need to find a new line of work. I’m sure the new tax laws have made it tougher to get donations, but I’m also sure a creative management team for one of the greatest orchestras in the world can find a way to make it work without hurting the quality of the orchestra.

Once the market starts regularly saying those players are worth more elsewhere, the orchestra will take a huge step back. Vosburgh said something similar when he retired from Pittsburgh.

[MrClean]

[John Mohan]

[HERMOKIWI]

[LSOfanboy]

Reading these threads sometimes make me despair of what the Trumpetherald has become...

Its only occasional posts from wonderful players and, very rare, posts from genuinely serious and contentious students that keep me on this site. And they seem to be drying up by the day; which is undoubtedly in part due to the ever-decreasing levels of discussion on these forums.

Can't we manage better than this?

[HERMOKIWI]

[LSOfanboy]

[roccotrumpetsiffredi]

What will become of the principal trumpet audition they just announced?

Presumably will be delayed?

[trumpet56]

[dbacon]

DB

[JoseLindE4]

The audience has been old since the current old audience was young. Old people like the symphony, but young people tend to get old. The audience is there - some of the articles have mentioned record sales in recent years by the CSO.

[Athos]

[HERMOKIWI]

What percentage of the total annual budget of the CSO is funded by ticket sales?
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HERMOKIWI

[dbacon]

DB