Symphonic Shorts

Dealing With Management...

Hands-on with Palm Beach Opera

992sympho1.gifIt began about a year ago. A committee was formed to unite the Palm Beach Opera Orchestra musicians and get them talking to each other outside the opera pit. Their first official function was to hold a social gathering at chair Mik Groninger’s house last April.

Since that time the committee has done extensive research on the Opera’s financial status (public record because of their nonprofit status) and their relationship with the orchestra, as well as the relationship between other opera orchestras and their respective managements across the country. They also researched the orchestra members themselves, and were pleased to find that more than a healthy majority were interested in Union representation.

Union Representation cards were sent out, and more than enough were signed and returned to ensure Local 655’s presence representing the musicians at the negotiating table. We wish to thank the PBO management for voluntarily recognizing Local 655 as exclusive bargaining agent for the musicians.

Now the hard part begins...a negotiating committee will be elected, the orchestra will be polled this month about what they would like to see in a contract, and CBA negotiations will begin this summer, with Chris Durham (who negotiated the BPO contract) as lead negotiator. The orchestra hopes to convey to management that they take their jobs seriously and that they hope to move the opera to the next tier.

We wish to thank committee members Virginia Barnes, Matt Brown, Karen Hebermehl, Mark Martin, and chair Mik Groninger for their hard work. Congratulations and good luck!


992sympho2.gifGroundbreaking for the new Performing Arts Center in Miami will be held on Saturday, May 1. The five resident companies (Florida Philharmonic, Concert Association of Florida, Florida Grand Opera, Miami City Ballet, and New World Symphony) will participate in the ceremony. Igor Gruppman, concertmaster of the FPO and recently the subject of a feature article in Cultural Quarterly, will be featured playing with the New World Symphony under the direction of FPO music director James Judd.


Orchestras Get Grants

BCPA pays off Debt

A generous grant of $1 million from Margaret Adderly Kelly has enabled the Broward Center for the Performing Arts to retire its nearly $3 million remaining debt. This will enable the Center to play a broader role in the region’s cultural life, possibly even sponsoring events at other venues.

Tafoya wins National Symphony gig

Congratulations to FPO timpanist John Tafoya, who recently won the National Symphony Orchestra Principal Timpani audition. We will miss him, but we wish him luck in Washington D.C.!

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