Members react to Minnesota and St. Paul Chamber orchestra  lockouts

When sophomore Miranda Van Pilsum-Johnson looks for classical music concerts to attend this holiday season, she will find significantly less events scheduled than in previous years.

Although much attention this fall has been directed toward the lockouts of the National Football League referees and the National Hockey League, two local labor battles are impacting the Twin Cities’ cultural scene. The Minnesota Orchestra (MO) and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) have been locked out since Oct. 1 and and Oct. 28, respectively, and all holiday concerts as well as some 2013 concerts have been cancelled.

The lockouts are a result of a conflict between the musicians and the management over contracts. The  musicians are being asked to take 15 SPCO and 34 MO percent pay cuts.

Park Orchestra Director Miriam Edgar said students should be active in ending the lockouts because these entities are a key part of Minnesota’s identity. Also, she said students need to fight for this cause because lockouts are becoming a growing reality and may very well affect them someday in an area they care about.

“The orchestras are such a great cultural treasure and need to be preserved” she said. “If (the lockout) can happen to musicians, it can happen to anyone or any group – choir, theater or even an art gallery. This affects people more than they realize.”

This idea is true for Johnson who said she thinks musicians and other artists deserve as much appreciation as sports players.

“It’s a close and talented community just like any sports team,” she said. “We are spending so much on stadiums right now and should be able to support the orchestras.”

To show the importance of this issue, Edgar said she is trying hard to get students to participate in helping to end the lockouts.

“I am encouraging students to follow the Facebook pages for the musicians,” she said. “Also, I am hoping to give students the opportunity to write letters to the Board of Directors and explain to them how they feel about the issue.”

Johnson said she is planning to take advantage of these opportunities as well as others to show her support for the orchestras.

“I really want to go to the next lockout concerts and get a ‘support the musicians’ yard sign,” she said. “People should always support the arts and I think we need the orchestras here.”

More information on the lockouts and ways to get involved can be found on the musicians’ Facebook pages (Musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra and Musicians of the SPCO) or on the musicians’ websites at www.minnesotaorchestramusicians.org and musiciansspco.org.