In Thursday’s (12/5) Star Tribune (Minneapolis), Graydon Royce writes that the status of Orchestra Hall “has become a contentious issue” in the labor dispute between the Minnesota Orchestral Association and its musicians, who have not performed in the hall since a lockout that began in October 2012. “Several independent sources have called on the city to find the association in breach and to retake control of the hall, which Minneapolis owns by virtue of sponsoring a $14 million state bonding request for a recently completed renovation. The city requires the association to report each December on whether it has operated the facility as a ‘performing arts center.’ … The association’s attorney claimed that the failure to reach a labor agreement excuses the organization from lease requirements. The locked-out musicians, who are performing concerts as the Musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra, [said through] spokesman Blois Olson … last month that if ‘Orchestra Hall is available, we’d be happy to perform there.’ … Minneapolis has 45 days to decide if it agrees that the association is in compliance with the lease. If not, a lengthy process requires default notices and provisions for finding a solution.”
Posted December 6, 2013
