“Musicians from the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, who haven’t played a full live concert since early March 2020, will finally be back on stage in mid-October, led by their [former] longtime music director and conductor, Kevin Rhodes,” writes Steve Pfarrer in Saturday’s (9/25) Daily Hampshire Gazette (MA). “Musicians and their union have been locked in a dispute with the orchestra’s management over a new contract, and in fact the SSO has not prepared a schedule for the 2021-2022 season, which is a central part of the contract disagreement. The Oct. 15 concert … is actually being staged by the musicians themselves, who have formed an independent group, The Musicians of the Springfield Orchestra (MOSSO)…. The SSO has no music director at present…. John Anz, interim executive director of SSO, … said, ‘We have a plan for this season, but we can’t put it in play and announce it until we have a commitment from the musicians.’ … The SSO has now set Oct. 1 as a deadline for a new labor agreement.… The National Labor Relations Board recently filed a complaint against SSO for unfair labor practices…. A hearing is scheduled for Dec. 1…. ‘We’d like to be working with the symphony,’ clarinetist Lynn Sussman added. ‘But most of all, we just want a chance to play music.’ ”
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