In a letter addressed to Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul as well as party heads on both sides of the aisle, some 90 alumni and supporters of the Minnesota Orchestra Composer Institute--including Philip Glass, John Corigliano, David Lang, Kevin Puts and Nico Muhly--called for a swift end to the Minnesota Orchestra lockout.
Here's but an excerpt for their missive:
With this impasse, the 2012-13 Composer Institute was postponed. The Institute, currently in its 12th year, is one of the only opportunities for emerging composers in the United States to work with a major American orchestra.
The program has been a beacon in the field, and had substantially enriched the Minnesota Orchestra's stature as a forward-thinking cultural institution.
Maestro Osmo Vänskä and the entire orchestra and staff have brought this effort to an extraordinary level of quality and commitment. This amazing program, unique in the field, has benefited so many young composers and we fear that it may be in danger of disappearing.
Minnesota Orchestra musicians have been locked out by management since October 1--one of the longest labor disputes in U.S. symphony history.
Having cancelled summer already, Vänskä has warned both suits and artists they have until September to reach a resolution.
Should the lockout continue past that deadline, Osmo Vänskä will resign in protest.
Locked out for much of their own season, 10 musicians from the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra recently accepted early retirement.
