CSO and musicians reach tentative agreement; 3-year pact secures concerts, October tours

Submitted by Nancy Malitz on Sep 24, 2012 – 8:55 pm | 7,158 views

Tuesday morning update: The musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra ratified their contract Tuesday and officially ended their strike in time to begin rehearsals with music director Riccardo Muti for performances later this week.

By Nancy Malitz

The Chicago Symphony Association announced Monday night that musicians and management of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra have arrived at a tentative agreement for a new, three-year collective bargaining contract.

If you have a ticket for Wednesday’s concert at Orchestra Hall, CSO officials say you will be able to use it.

Pending ratification by both sides, the musicians should be back to work for concerts Wednesday and Friday at Orchestra Hall and a quick trip to Ann Arbor, Mich., Thursday, as well as a gala fund-raiser featuring violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter on Saturday.

The three-day strike was the first by CSO musicians since 1991, when a two-week walkout delayed the official debut of Daniel Barenboim as music director. The longest orchestra strike in the nation’s recent history was by musicians of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, who were out 26 weeks from September 2010 to April 2011.

Ratification of the new CSO contract is still pending by both parties — the Chicago Federation of Musicians and the CSOA Board of Trustees — at which time further details about the terms are expected. When ratified, the new contract will take effect on Monday, September 17, 2012.

Related links:

Check the Chicago Symphony website for updates: Go to CSO.org
Musicians’ strike forces last-minute concert cancellation: Details at ChicagoOntheAisle.com
Muti and CSO launch season with a bang: Read the review at ChicagoOntheAisle.com

Tags: Chicago Federation of Musicians, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra strike, CSOA Board of Trustees

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