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Detroit Symphony Orchetsra cancels concerts through Dec. 11

Musicians perform
Jennifer Guerra
/
Michigan Radio
DSO musicians perform at a church in Bloomfield Hills to raise support for the strike.

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra has issued yet another round of concert cancellations at Orchestra Hall since the musicians went on strike Oct. 4

All orchestral concerts are now cancelled through Dec. 11th.

Haden McKay, a cellist with the DSO, says the musicians are "very disappointed to hear about more weeks being lost for the concert goers in Detroit."

Musicians and management met last Wednesday to try and hash out some kind of negotiation before the Thanksgiving holiday.

McKay says no agreement between the two sides was reached, but "the door was not completely shut last Wednesday. There are people trying to help us come back to the table, we just feel there’s not been a willing partner in management at this point."

In a press release, management said its proposal on Wednesday "added one million dollars to the orchestra's economic package."

Management's proposal offered a new total of $34 million to the orchestra, featured a substantial revision to proposed work rules and would have caused the orchestra to spend more time in the community through chamber ensembles in schools, community centers and places of worship.

According to the striking musicians webpage, the players "responded by reducing its previous offer of $39 million to $38 million."

At the end of the meeting, instead of making a counterproposal, management withdrew its offer of $34 million and reverted to their previous proposal of $33 million.

The striking musicians will perform a series of holiday concerts at churches and schools in metro Detroit beginning on Friday.

Jennifer is a reporter for Michigan Radio's State of Opportunity project, which looks at kids from low-income families and what it takes to get them ahead. She previously covered arts and culture for the station, and was one of the lead reporters on the award-winning education series Rebuilding Detroit Schools. Prior to working at Michigan Radio, Jennifer lived in New York where she was a producer at WFUV, an NPR station in the Bronx.
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