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Elizabeth Erickson

Minneapolis, Minnesota
Commenter for
16 weeks 5 days

Recent Comments

Posted on 05/07/13 at 09:21 pm in response to Sense of urgency being felt over Minnesota Orchestra plight; local bands to play Target Field

Hi Bill
I, along with several other regular contributors on this issue, have been working our asses off for 8 months, (mostly Emily) to get accurate information out to the public about this tragedy. The MOA sure hasn't helped, the Strib has barely helped with the tough issue at hand, and it often seems like people who really don't care one way or the other about the orchestra's existence, feel the need to weigh in on the orchestra mess without having much background. Those of us who...

Posted on 05/01/13 at 01:37 pm in response to MinnRoast 2013 slide show #4

Imagine! A sports figure who cares about something besides sports. How refreshing. Now, today I read that the Vikings are poised to fire Chris Kluwe and since he is at the top of his game, we have to assume it has something to do with his social justice work. The NFL has been pathetically quiet regarding issues such as domestic abuse and assaults by its players. How is it that Zigi and his little club are all up in arms about Chris Kluwe's personal decision to take a stand. I bet they...

Posted on 04/30/13 at 08:00 am in response to Why speak out for gay rights? It's the right thing to do

Thanks so much Chris --You set a great example of someone who uses his fame to really help others. Your genuine sense of fairness and justice comes through so clearly in your message. In addition to supporting people's right to marry whomever they choose, I also want to extend a special thanks to you for supporting our orchestra that is being destroyed right in front of our eyes. Your presence and support at the Bruckner concert meant more to the musicians and patrons than you can possibly...

Posted on 04/26/13 at 10:24 am in response to The only path to settlement: Orchestra musicians, board members must negotiate

Would someone from the Minnesota Orchestra Board please explain to me how stripping the music director of artistic control and handing it over to a couple of suits from the corporate world, who know diddly squat about music and in some cases, don't even attend concerts, helps saves money and contributes to a"sustainable" future? Although the slashing of salaries, the likes of which have never been seen by a major America orchestra, EVER and is incredibly destructive, the working conditions...

Posted on 04/26/13 at 12:21 pm in response to The only path to settlement: Orchestra musicians, board members must negotiate

In regards to Amy's comment, I would say it has been damaged internationally, given that friends of mine in Paris know all about this mess and can't believe Minnesota as a progressive state has allowed this to happen. My friends in Vienna and London, who have heard the Minnesota Orchestra perform, also know what's going on. So I would say pretty much the entire orchestra world is disgusted by the actions of the MOA.

Posted on 04/28/13 at 11:07 pm in response to The only path to settlement: Orchestra musicians, board members must negotiate

Ms. Sandness asks: Is there a multimillionaire willing to bankroll a new orchestra? I sure have thought about that. But by management's own figures, we're short only about $5 million dollars. This amount would negate the need for drastic cuts that the MOA keeps insisting is necessary. 5 million dollars is the change in Zigi's pocket or the Polhad boys' pockets. These guys are billionaires and they get huge subsidies from the state for their "for profit" businesses. They want the state to...

Posted on 04/30/13 at 09:24 am in response to The only path to settlement: Orchestra musicians, board members must negotiate

I just want to clarify a couple of things; first of all, the numbers will show that there has been a much bigger decline in the attendance of jazz concerts. ( I'm fairly certain that if one adjusts for the fact that the number of classical concerts were greatly reduced, the actual classical concert attendance held steady despite the MOA seriously messing with the marketing budget. Song of the Lark blog could clarify this statement if it is inaccurate.) I don't see anyone suggesting cutting...

Posted on 04/30/13 at 09:09 pm in response to The only path to settlement: Orchestra musicians, board members must negotiate

And don't forget that many of the string players have a more than $500,00 dollars worth of equipment and many others, tens of thousands of dollars worth of multiple instruments, add insurance, upkeep and repairs. Also, don't forget that the average musician in the orchestra probably spent at least 15 years of working hours and hours a day without pay before they started collecting a check.

Posted on 05/04/13 at 11:48 pm in response to The only path to settlement: Orchestra musicians, board members must negotiate

I would like to share one of my experiences with the musicians PR team early on in the tragedy. I was mad. I didn't use profanity but I was pretty harsh towards the board. I received a polite email from one of the members of the PR team explaining why they could not post my submission. I emailed back apologizing for anything that was inappropriate. What struck me from the very beginning of this mess was, that in every way possible, the musicians took the high road. Over and over again...

Posted on 05/09/13 at 12:06 pm in response to The only path to settlement: Orchestra musicians, board members must negotiate

Sometimes what is NOT said is far more important than what is. In their article, Ms Carpenter and Mr Pulles cite the salary increases the musicians received back in 2007. As we have seen over and over again, the MOA chooses to mislead the public by failing to mention the other part of that same equation. Where is it mentioned in their article that the musicians gave back $4.5 million dollars of that salary increase? Where is it mentioned that they were willing to give back even more a...