SPCO cancels concerts; musicians break media blackout
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Management at the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra on Thursday canceled all concerts through March 23.
Management says locked-out musicians have halted off-the-record negotiations. Musicians say they have decided to no longer honor a media blackout requested by a federal mediator. However a player representative says they say they are ready and willing to keep talking.
The parties had resumed talks, which have been under way since Jan. 2.
In a statement released late Thursday afternoon Interim SPCO President Dobson West said management is still prepared to meet, but needed to cancel the concerts so patrons, musicians and guest performers can make arrangements.
Negotiator for the musicians, Lynn Erickson said she was initially quite hopeful.
"We had some ideas that we exchanged back and forth, but like I said, the management has been really unwilling to compromise on several issues that are pretty important to the musicians and it's not really about the money," Erickson said.
• Follow Euan Kerr on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/euankerr
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