Skrowaczewski hopes locked out musicians concerts will send a message

Locked out musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra play concerts Thursday and Friday at the Ted Mann Hall as part of their campaign to keep top quality classical music alive in Minneapolis.

Minnesota Orchestra Conductor Emeritus Stanislaw Skrowaczewski will conduct a program of Wagner, Mozart and Brahms. Skrowaczewski says almost 14 months into the lockout he hopes the concert will send a message.

"You know it is necessary for, you know, (the) public and for the orchestra to feel that it is still there and the importance of those concerts is enormous," he said after a rehearsal this afternoon

Skrowaczewski, who is also marking his 90th birthday, says the concert sends a message to the orchestra management that locked out the players.

"To me it is a sort of answer to the board, that we are here, and I am so happy to do it. I would be so unhappy not to be able to do it, " he said.

In response to a request for comment management issued a statement saying: "The board is willing to meet at any point to resume the contract talks that musicians recently broke off. This remains the most realistic, viable path toward a compromise settlement that will allow us to offer hundreds of concert performances for broad audiences across the state again."

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