On Tuesday (7/16) at the Minnesota Public Radio website, Euan Kerr reports that ten musicians have accepted a retirement package from the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. “The retirement deal came this week as part of the contract settlement resulting from the months-long lockout that shut down the orchestra for most of last season.… The 10 musicians taking the package … are well known to the orchestra’s fans: trumpeter Gary Bordner, bassists Christopher Brown and Fred Bretschger, viola players Evelina Chao and Tamas Strasser, violinists Thomas Kornacker, Brenda Manuel Mickens and Michal Sobieski and horn player Paul Straka. Also opting to retire is oboist Thomas Tempel, who has played with the SPCO for 44 years. SPCO President Bruce Coppock says each of the players brought extraordinary talent to the orchestra…. The SPCO’s newly formed instrumentation committee, which consists of five musicians and three managers, is now working to decide on the best instrumental make-up for the SPCO in coming years and the repertoire it performs, Coppock said. ‘As much as we cherish and respect the work that the 10 recent retirees have done,’ he said, ‘I think everybody also understands there is an opportunity to build for the future.’ … But Coppock acknowledges there is a lot of work ahead.”
Posted July 18, 2013
Photo by Steve J. Sherman
