Following the resignation of Minnesota Orchestra Music Director Osmo Vänskä, Graydon Royce reports on Tuesday (10/1) in the Star Tribune (Minneapolis), “Representatives of the board and musicians said no new talks are scheduled. Musicians prepared to stage their own concerts this weekend, which would have been the orchestra’s season opener. The orchestra’s international reputation took a further hit Tuesday when Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Aaron Jay Kernis resigned after 15 years as director of the orchestra’s Composer Institute, saying he was ‘baffled and dismayed at what has been done to allow the dismemberment of this superb orchestra at the height of its powers.’ … For two sides that have had a total of two face-to-face meetings in the past year, the question of an end game now rises. Will the board try to rebuild an orchestra while musicians strike up their own band? … The concerts Friday and Saturday night at Ted Mann Concert Hall in Minneapolis will feature pianist Emanuel Ax in a program that was supposed to be staged at the remodeled Orchestra Hall. Musicians say they plan four or five additional programs this fall. In an interview, [board chairman Jon] Campbell said it is far too early for the board to consider drastic steps in reshaping the orchestra, such as hiring temporary replacement musicians.”
Posted October 2, 2013
Pictured: Ted Mann Concert Hall
