As some of you know from the Certified letter I posted here and various other places last week the deadline for the terms of per-service employment as outlined n the letter was yesterday. The Louisville Orchestra Musicians held a protest at what was to be a pre-mediation session in attempts to renew their collective bargaining agreement which was also, coincidentally (or not), to take place yesterday at 2PM. There’s alot of info here, but this timeline with links to relevant pieces give many more details.
- July 7, Thursday – I attended the Party Like a Bock Star fundraising event at the 4th Street BBC which is where I first heard from some LO musicians (including one of my former cello teachers) that many of them were receiving certified letters (scan of letter in full in the link).
- July 8, Friday – An LO musician posts the contents of the letter as a facebook note.
- July 9, Saturday – getting home from a show late in the morning I first see this and immediately posted to my facebook page as well as to Drew McManus’ facebook page as well as some other online communities. Kim Tichenor, chairman of the LO Musicians sends a letter to the editor of the Courier Journal
- July 11, Monday – Elizabeth Kramer at The Courier Journal and Drew McManus report on the letter and some of the implications.
- July 12, Tuesday – Drew McManus is interview on WFPL about the situation. A protest is organized, a call to appear at the LO’s office downtown Louisville is sent at the Musicians Organization facebook page.
- July 13, Wednesday – The deadline for the musicians acceptance or refusal as contained in the Certified Letter is met by a protest and individual letters and emails to Rob Birman by both musicians and local fans and supporters outside of the LO’s office in downtown Louisville.
- July 14, Thursday – Sarah Lawson at The Courier Journal and Drew McManus report on the events leading up to yesterday.
Things are only gong to be more difficult now, but please read through the links for more details–and especially give a listen to the interview with Drew McManus as he gives a much more sobering view on the state of Orchestras in the US, which is nowhere near as dismal as many of the doom and gloom (the “Chicken Little Think Tank” as they are often referred to at his blog) folks maintain. Unfortunately, the general orchestra climate isn’t going to be able to help the Louisville Orchestra situation.
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RELATED LINKS
- Louisville Orchestra Musicians Association
- Louisville Orchestra Musicians Association Facebook page
- Keep Louisville Symphonic
- Louisville Orchestra
Mae Mai 