Letter to the AJC from retired ASO musician, Patrick MacFarland.
As a proud former player with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (after 47 years) I must respond to the recent contract.
This orchestra has been a world class orchestra, having toured Europe to packed houses with wonderful receptions and I am proud to have been part of the successes of Atlanta's fine ensemble.
However, the new contract between the musicians and management will be devastating to the quality of the group. With such huge wage concessions, reducing the size of the orchestra and the number of weeks of playing, the effect will bring the lowering of the usual high quality of the music that we've come to expect from our fine ensemble.
The heavy handed treatment of the musicians, beginning with the termination of their health insurance and lockout is inexcusable. It is the job of management to create opportunities for financial gain Yet, they have failed to do so and the musicians have to sacrifice, and that they have dearly. According to the article in the Atlanta Journal/Constitution, CEO Stanley Romanstein earns $314,000.00 a year with $291,000.00 for Donald F. Fox, 2nd in charge in management. According to the same article, they have offered to take a 6% pay cut which comes to $18,840.00 for Mr. Romanstein, while the average musician will be losing around $20,000.00, or about 17%. Is this equitable?
The orchestra will take several years to again become the same proud group that I knew when I played with them. From the world class status to a local group of demoralized musicians is thoroughly devastating to me. This is the death knell of a great orchestra.
Congratulations to you, Mr. Romanstein, you must be a proud man!
Patrick McFarland
English horn player
I'll be looking for that AJC article, Patrick. Frankly, we have been very disappointed with local media. Please read what other chorus members have written here on the blog ... you won't find it anywhere else. Please know that we fully support the ASO musicians, down to the bitter choices they have been forced to make. We look forward to making music with them this season, and for a long time to come.
ReplyDeleteAnd I always loved hearing you play, Mr. McFarland!
ReplyDeletePatrick,
ReplyDeleteTo me it seems obvious that the world class orchestra we've had here in Atlanta in the past is not the orchestra Stanley Romanstein, the ASO board and the WAC board want. Which is why they have destroyed it. It's no longer the same group because they don't want to do the work required to find the money to pay for the former group. And it's not that they don't know what they are doing - They know what they are doing. They are destroying a great orchestra because running a minor league one will be cheaper, and won't take as much effort. And the people of the city who haven't read this blog think accord was reached between players and management. Nothing could be farther from the truth. It was either do it Stanley's way or starve. No-this orchestra is not the one you served so wonderfully. God help us.
Steve Reed
ASOC
T1-259
I wasn't one of the lucky ones who received the now-infamous form letter reply from S.R.PhD. containing the airplane analogy. (My form letter reply was different--I guess by then he'd realized how lame it was.) However, here's an airplane analogy of my own: For a couple of years S.R.PhD. was the pilot of a 777--big and beautiful and highly-esteemed all over the country, indeed, even the world. Now, due to his own actions, (and those of the head of the airline company, Ms. Hepner), he's traded in the 777 for an MD88, and flies only regional routes. Yes, to quote Mr. McFarland, "Congratulations to you, Mr. Romanstein, you must be a proud man."
ReplyDeleteAnd to you, Mr. McFarland, I will also add my thanks for the many years of fine artistry we heard from you in the ASO.