San Francisco Opera reaches new contract agreement with its orchestra
The two-year contract with the American Federation of Musicians, the union that represents more than 70,000 professional musicians in North America, was ratified by the orchestra on Thursday, June 26, the day before its first-ever Pride concert.
The collective bargaining agreement spans Aug. 1, 2024 through July 31, 2026.
'We're happy to have reached this Agreement and are especially proud that our musicians, along with our healthcare consultant, identified and delivered major cost savings that will benefit the entire Company,' Gabe Young, chair of the orchestra's negotiating committee, said in a statement. 'We look forward to negotiating a longer-term contract in the coming years in collaboration with Opera leadership.'
The Opera and its orchestra expect to begin negotiations on a multi-year contract during the next round of talks.
The Opera's 2024-25 season opening gala last September was nearly disrupted by unresolved contract negotiations, but the orchestra musician and the company's management were able to reach a short-term agreement just before its performance of Verdi's 'Un Ballo in Maschera (A Masked Ball).'
Prior to that, orchestra musicians had been without a contract since July 2024 and were ' deeply concerned ' about stalled discussions with Opera leadership.
'I am very grateful to both the musicians and the staff who worked with great commitment, care, and thoughtfulness to reach this new agreement,' Matthew Shilvock, the Opera's general director, said in a statement. 'We deeply value the extraordinary talents of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and the transcendent music making they realize in both our theater and in the community.'
With the new deal in place, the Opera is set to return to the War Memorial Opera House for its 2025-26 season with Verdi's 'Rigoletto' on Sept. 5.
Across the street at Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco Symphony labor negotiations have remained tense, with musicians and choristers staging multiple protests over artistic direction, compensation, and financial transparency.
Frustrations escalated ahead of the departure of Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, who cited disagreements with the board as his reason for stepping down. The Finnish conductor gave his final performance with the orchestra on June 14.
Meanwhile, the San Francisco Ballet, who also performs at the War Memorial, reached a new three-year contract agreement with its orchestra at the start of June, seven months before its previous one was set to expire.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sarnia 2SLGBTQ+ community to hold first Pride parade in more than 20 years on Sunday
Sarnia will hold its first Pride parade in more than 20 years on Saturday, with slightly more than 10 entrants expected to take part. The event is part of the city's recently revived annual pride celebrations, which turn four this year. "I'm very excited to see how this all unfolds," said Jessica Baker, the executive director of Queer Joy Canada, which is organizing this year's festivities. "I think there might be one that is working on a small float. … Honestly, I could not be more excited that we are going to have what looks like a genuine parade, so we're going to have a mixture of vehicles and marchers and everything like that." Pride in the Park takes place Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. in Canatara Park and includes a pet parade, pet pageant, variety hour and drag show. The parade itself starts at noon on Sunday and rolls through the park down Lake Chipican Drive. But Baker, who put together this year's events with a small committee and volunteer crew, urged more people to get involved to help Pride continue in the years to come. "I'm really hoping that we can continue to grow," she said, "to make sure that we have that longevity, that sustainability for this festival."
Hamilton Spectator
6 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Dawsonites can say ‘I do' at Pride parade
It could be the happiest day of your life in Dawson City this weekend. You could be promising 'til death do us part to your sweetheart thanks to an offer from event organizer Meaghen Kimmett. Kimmett, who runs Raven Events, has been contracted to run the three Queer Yukon Pride parades across the territory this summer. This first one will take place in Dawson City on July 12, starting at 1 p.m. and it will begin at Minto Concession and finish with ice cream, Kimmett told the News on July 10. Kimmett is also a marriage commissioner. She's offered to marry any lovers who are able to provide a marriage licence, free of charge, after the parade. 'I just thought it would be a fun way to celebrate and recognize love,' she said. 'It's open to anybody.' Kimmett said she's heard some interest, but she is not yet sure if she will unite anyone in matrimony on Saturday. She said she hopes she can get at least one couple. Kimmett said she loves marrying people, and most of the people she has married are elopers who she doesn't know. 'Every single time, I have to have a little pep talk to not get emotional and cry,' she said. 'I'm supposed to be the professional, not the person crying while I'm marrying them. I just love it.' She said she became a marriage commissioner one year ago. 'I thought it was just a good fit for an event business, especially because I go into rural communities quite a bit, and then it can be a self-sufficient wedding.' Anyone who gets married by Kimmett after the Pride parade on July 12 will be officially married, Kimmett said. 'Yeah, I have vows that take probably two minutes, and then you have to do paperwork with witnesses, and then I file the paperwork when I get back to Whitehorse, and it's a done deal, you're married.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Forbes
15 hours ago
- Forbes
MOCO Museum London Hosts LGBTQ+ Art Auction by Pink Noise Foundation Featuring Beth Ditto and Olly Alexander"
Beth Ditto, Olly Alexander, Glynn Fussell, Katy Richfield, Daniel Lismore and Pink Noise Team at MOCO Museum. MOCO Museum MOCO Museum in London's Marble Arch hosted a Pink Noise Foundation fundraising auction during PRIDE month, featuring emerging and established LGBTQI+ artists and artists who support the community. MOCO Museum Art Collection Manager Katy Richfield curated the exhibition and auction with Pink Noise and Daniel Lismore. Artworks were donated by Alison Jackson, Bambi, Ben Eine, Deborah Azzopardi, Chris Levine, ENDLESS, Fox Fisher, Hattie Stewart, Ian Brennan, Jess Wilson, Kristjana S Williams, Laura Stowers, Lucy Perfect, MYSTIQ, Pussy Riot, Trackie McLeod and Zoe Grace. Daniel Lismore by Chris Levine. Courtesy of MOCO Museum Chris Levine Beth Ditto and Olly Alexander performed before the live auction on 3rd July, which raised £20,000 with top lots including Alison Jackson's PRIDE Playboy , Tongue in Cheek by Hayden Kays and a portrait of Daniel Lismore by Chris Levine, portraitist of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Alison Jackson created the PRIDE Playboy print for the auction in a rainbow-inspired palette, the first time she has veered away from her signature black and white Paparazzi-style shots of lookalikes. Alison Jackson PRIDE Playboy, Courtesy of MOCO Museum Alison Jackson The Pink Noise Foundation auction was conceived by Mighty Hoopla founder Glyn Fussell and MOCO Museum's Katy Richfield. Pink Noise Foundation is a community-led that supports and strengthens the most vulnerable members and organisations of the LGBTQ+ community. Created by the founders of Sink The Pink and Mighty Hoopla, Glyn Fussell and Jamie Tagg, the charity is dedicated to making real change for grassroots LGBTQIA+ charities and organisations and supports them 365 days a year in their efforts to fight for change. Glyn Fussell spoke to me at MOCO Museum before the auction and gave me some insight into why it's so important: 'What we are doing with the auction is bringing together Pop culture and Queer culture. Pink Noise really started because we wanted to create a charity that supports grass roots LGBTQI+ organisations and support the unseen people that maybe don't get to march in PRIDE. Lots of grass roots organisations were vanishing so Pink Noise was set up in response to that. This year it felt so important to be supporting the Trans community, especially as a Trustee of Not a Phase . It's exciting to bring people into this space (MOCO Museum) and put on an event like this.' LOVE by Kristjana S Williams. Courtesy of MOCO Museum Kristjana S Williams Highlights of the online auction include; Day of the City Action by Pussy Riot founding member and conceptual artist Nadya; I LOVE YOU by Bambi, PRIDE Hope , a unique collaged artwork by Kristjana S Williams; London Rainbow by RUDE; Defend Trans Lives by Fox Fisher; and Ian Brennan's Tissues . Ian Brennan explained the meaning behind his painting: 'This piece depicts the internal struggle of having to remove a mask and identify as our true selves. While Pride is a time of celebration, it is also an arrival point. We have arrived at a moment in time, but not without pain. This piece captures the tears that were wept and the tissues used to soak up the painful emotions LGBTQ+ people can feel when trying to just exist as themselves, and sometimes achieving such a basic right still takes a lot of activism and fight to achieve their freedoms and their truth.' The LGBTQI+ community has historically made a significant contribution to the arts and culture–from Studio 54, Warhol and The Factory in New York to Boy George and Leigh Bowery at Taboo in London–and the rich cultural legacy of the community is gaining more prominence in museums, with Tate Modern's Leigh Bowery retrospective and the Fashion + Textile Museum's Outlaws: Fashion Renegades of 80s London exhibitions serving as notable examples. MOCO Museum Art Collection Manager Katy Richfield pictured at Pink Noise x Moco Fundraiser. Corinne Cumming MOCO Museum showcases artworks by prominent LGBTQI+ artists including Andy Warhol and Keith Haring, and the museum's Art Collection Manager Katy Richfield explained to me before the live auction how she wanted to thank and support the community through initiatives such as the Pink Noise Art Fundraiser: 'We just really wanted to shine a spotlight on the fact that the art world owes such a massive debt to the LGBTQI+ community. It would be such a boring world without Andy Warhol and all of the club culture from Studio 54. Same with Keith Haring whose work was showing people dancing and rejoicing–at a time when HIV was at its peak, and he was trying to educate. Haring's work still has a powerful impact and message of getting rid of fear from people. We really felt with the museum, we have such a young audience including families and young kids. Sometimes when you go to museums you feel like its an elitist place, but at MOCO Museum we wanted the art to spark conversations about the society we live in today, and to celebrate all these different communities. We wanted to give a voice to artists from the LGBTQI+ community who are emerging or more established, including Fox Fisher, Daniel Lismore and Nadya from Pussy Riot, who protested in a country where being queer is illegal.' Glyn Fussell commented: 'That (quite small) moment with Leigh Bowery in the 80s in London, really informed popular culture. When we started doing Sink the Pink back in the day, it was a smash n'grab of art, punk, Drag and Pop Culture. All very DIY. That's something I like about this museum is that it makes art accessible to everyone, and it's not pretentious. The art is online after the live auction for all of PRIDE month.' The Pink Noise Foundation exhibition is on view at MOCO Museum until the end of July and bidding for the online auction is open here. I Heart You by Bambi. Courtesy of MOCO Museum Bambi
