INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra said Monday it is increasingly likely that at least some performances will be canceled since the contract with its musicians has expired.
The musicians union's contract expired Sunday night — less than two weeks before the orchestra's season-opening concert Sept. 14 — without signs of progress on a new deal that could bring big pay cuts for the musicians and end the symphony's year-round performances.
Symphony board chairman John Thornburgh said he was disappointed union leaders weren't willing to have more negotiation sessions until more than 10 days after the contract expired.
"Offering dates from mid-September through November doesn't reflect the urgency of the situation," Thornburgh said.
Richard Graef, a French horn player who is chairman of the musicians' negotiating committee, said the union offered a one-year proposal that would save $1.4 million but management didn't respond by a Saturday deadline. That offer was made with the intention that the two sides would use the extra time to agree on a longer-term deal, Graef said.
Symphony officials said the concerts scheduled for Sept. 14-15 and Sept. 21-23 would be canceled unless a new contract agreement is reached by Friday, so ticket holders could be notified.
"I really don't know what's going to happen," Graef told the Indianapolis Business Journal.
The union says symphony administrators have proposed a five-year contract that would cut its schedule from 50 weeks to 36 weeks and cut musicians' annual pay by about 42 percent. A performer with at least 20 years' seniority earned about $80,000 during the 2011-2012 season, according to figures from the musicians' union.
The union has countered by offering to take a 14 percent pay cut the first year of the contract and 14 weeks of furloughs over five years.
Concertmaster Zach DePue, who joined the symphony as its top violinist in 2007, said he was concerned about the management's vision for its future.
"This is not the orchestra that I signed up for," DePue told The Indianapolis Star. "I hope better minds prevail."
The symphony finished its 2011 fiscal year with a $1.7 million deficit even after cutting its budget from $35 million in 2009 to $25 million for 2011 and reducing the administrative staff, according to ISO officials.
Executives said they want to reduce the orchestra's size from 87 positions to 69 — closer to the number needed onstage for most performances, and would rely more on hiring other musicians as needed.
"It's not ideal," said Jackie Groth, the symphony's interim CEO. "But again, tough choices have to be made. Most of the easy choices were made long ago."
