ASO, Still in Contract Dispute With Musicians, Cancels September and October Concerts

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra has been forced to cancel the beginning of its upcoming concert season due to an ongoing labor dispute between the orchestra and the musicians which comprise it.

“We’ve made this decision with a great deal of reluctance,” said Atlanta Symphony Orchestra President & CEO Stanley E. Romanstein, Ph.D in a statement.

“Cancelling concerts is the last thing any of us wants to do, but to respect the schedules of our patrons, guest artists, artistic partners and our 200-member volunteer chorus, we feel we have no other choice.”

A 2012 collective bargaining agreement between management and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Players’ Association expired at midnight on Sept. 6, meaning that musicians are no longer being paid. Musicians’ health coverage will continue until the end of September, but if no new agreement is reached by then, ASO will offer COBRA care to the musicians.

While the musicians are currently locked out of the ASO, they have not put their instruments away. Some of the orchestra’s players will perform a benefit concert on Monday evening at Terminal West. The 7:30 p.m. concert will feature works by Bach, Puccini, Holst, Handel, and others.

The crux of the new bargaining agreement is the need to balance the quality and prestige of the orchestra with the need to reduce a multi-million dollar budget deficit which management claims is due to an old, unsustainable operating model.

Concerts up to Nov. 8 have been cancelled, including performances of Beethoven’s 9th and 6th Symphonies. The full list of canceled performances is as follows:

• Opening Weekend - Sept 25, 27 and 28
• Beethoven 9 – Oct 2, 4 and 5
• Beethoven 6 – Oct 9 and 11
• Lang Lang – Oct 15*
• Ravel – Oct 16 and 18
• POPS! Jason Alexander – Oct 24 and 25
• FAMILY Halloween – Oct 25
• Grieg – Nov 6, 7 and 8

Patrons with tickets for the cancelled shows can exchange them for a future performance, consider the ticket price a contribution to the orchestra, or request a full refund with service fees. Complimentary tickets may be exchanged for future shows, depending on availability. Additionally, parking may be exchanged or refunded depending on the availability of spaces for a given performance.