WCO cancels Friday's concert due to strike

Lindsay Christians  —  10/03/2008 11:34 am

The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra has canceled the first concert of its season due to a musicians' strike.

Violinist Kyoko Takezawa was scheduled to play Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E Minor Friday at the Capitol Theater. It was the first concert in the 2008-09 Masterworks Series as part of the chamber orchestra's 45th season.

Ticket holders will be contacted by phone or e-mail for refunds, WCO said. The orchestra estimated that about 700 tickets had been sold. Ticket prices range from $8 for youth to $62 for the best adult seats.

Issues over the muscians' contract, which expired on Aug. 31, include disagreements about "just cause" -- the procedure for firing someone for nonartistic reasons -- and the mandatory attendance policy.

The 34 contracted musicians maintain they have compromised more than management, specifically on the contentious issue of attendance.

The chamber orchestra management wants to maintain a 90 percent attendance requirement at all rehearsals and performances, which is where it has been for the past two years. Executive Director Doug Gerhart cites high pay for musicians as justification for this.

Todd Jelen, a member of the negotiating committee, said the musicians find a 50 percent mandatory attendance level reasonable, given the size of the WCO and the fact that almost all professional musicians must hold multiple jobs to make a living wage.

The management Wednesday offered an 87 percent attendance rate. Musicians countered with 80 percent. The issue remains unresolved.

"We've moved 30 percent, they moved 3," Jelen said.

Gerhart said they'll negotiate further on Friday morning.

"It's just a shame that the end result is a strike over incredibly minor things," Gerhart said.

WCO musicians plan to picket Friday until about 8:30 p.m. outside the Overture Center, where they perform. The musicians will give a short free concert at 9 p.m. at Bethel Lutheran Church, 312 Wisconsin Ave., playing Beethoven's Second Symphony.

Reach the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra at 608-257-0638 or visit www.wcoconcerts.org for more information.

Lindsay Christians  —  10/03/2008 11:34 am