“Stanley Romanstein has resigned as president and CEO of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, effective immediately,” reads an article by Howard Pousner and others in Monday’s (9/29) Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “ ‘I believe that my continued leadership of the ASO would be an impediment to our reaching a new labor agreement with the ASO’s musicians,’ Romanstein said in a press release. The executive committee of the ASO board has appointed Terry Neal, a current ASO board member and a retired executive of the Coca-Cola Company, to serve as president of the ASO on an interim basis. Neal will manage the day-to-day operations of the orchestra until a permanent replacement can be found. Romanstein will be available to the organization through the end of October…. The symphony musicians responded to Romanstein’s resignation late Monday afternoon, saying they hope it will lead to an agreement and an end to the lockout that was imposed on September 6. The ASO canceled the beginning of its 70th season through at least November 8 due to the lockout.… Virginia Hepner, president and CEO of the Woodruff Arts Center, said Monday that Romanstein’s resignation does not signal any shift in the key issues being addressed in the collective bargaining agreement process.”
Posted September 30, 2014