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Maryann Goldstein

Edina, Minnesota
Commenter for
16 weeks 5 days

Recent Comments

Posted on 06/11/13 at 06:08 pm in response to Some in MNO 'exodus' took leaves or left before lockout

I just have to second everything Emily said re: the MN Orchestra situation and players already gone or leaving. She certainly filled the holes in Ms. Saarela's letter.

I'm sure that the MOA thinks the public will hang onto every word it says because responses to our questions are so very, very rare. However, the MOA's credibility is in the sewer. By now, almost everyone knows that it is prudent to read between the lines and pay attention to what is NOT said. Surely the MOA...

Posted on 05/31/13 at 03:59 pm in response to Questions remain about fiscal performance of Minnesota Orchestra's board, management

Emily, thank you for raising these very important and pertinent questions. If the Minnesota Orchestral Association (MOA) wants to frame the contract dispute with the locked out Musicians as only about finances, well then, bring it on! ALL the stakeholders in the Minnesota Orchestra (and this includes the MOA Board, in addition to the orchestra musicians, the patrons, the donors, and the State Legislature) ought to be asking these questions and paying very close attention to the answers to...

Posted on 06/01/13 at 09:26 am in response to Questions remain about fiscal performance of Minnesota Orchestra's board, management

Ms. Kruger, am very happy to hear that financial concerns are not behind the MYS inability to play in Orchestra Hall next year. On the other hand, while I do not doubt your claim that the MOA tells you that the dates you would like for the MYS concerts are unavailable, I find this highly unusual. You have been able to find dates to play in Orchestra Hall for quite some time in the past, but NOW, and especially when there are no classical music programs publicly scheduled (or if there are,...

Posted on 04/26/13 at 03:41 pm in response to The only path to settlement: Orchestra musicians, board members must negotiate

So many of the comments above are right on.

To anyone who has watched this debacle unfold over the last few months, it is clear that the the current MOA has not and will NEVER take any responsibility for what is happening, make any attempts to tell the truth (or illuminate the truth behind their positions) to the public, or negotiate in good faith with the musicians.

Of course the recession caused financial problems---but this dispute goes far beyond the current financial...

Posted on 04/16/13 at 05:22 pm in response to Dear Mr. Henson: Your lockout is the 'barrier to negotiations'

One win-win would be to allow the musicians to play the last few remaining concerts of the 2012-13 season while negotiations continue. The musicians would regain some trust in the MOA (who now look increasingly untruthful about prior intentions to lockout the orchestra for the entire season), the MOA would gain some good will (the Board complains all the time about how they are vilified), and the public would benefit. This single act ought not to break the MOA's bank and could go miles in...

Posted on 03/22/13 at 07:09 pm in response to Orchestra lockouts: The longer this goes on without music being made, the more devastating it is

If you are, like I am, and a person who values the arts/artists in our society, please sign my petition to get the remaining 2012-13 Minnesota Orchestra Season resumed. This would be a first step in bringing back some trust (to the patrons and music lovers who have been locked out, to the Mpls businesses that have been losing business, to the musicians who don't believe anything the Minnesota Orchestral Association says, and to the Minnesota Orchestral Association, who could really use...

Posted on 02/22/13 at 12:43 pm in response to Political leaders' unusual silence speaks volumes about the complexities of orchestra lockouts

Thank you Doug Grow for this article which in my mind illustrates several things: 1) the contempt Mr. Henson has for the musicians and their successes 2) the likelihood that the musician lockout is part of a broader political/ideological anti-union agenda (and of which there is a lot of additional circumstantial evidence) and 3) in order to retain our world-class orchestra as we know it, the engineers (whoever they might be---but I'm guessing Mr. Henson, Mr. Campbell, and Mr. Davis) of the...

Posted on 02/24/13 at 11:15 am in response to Political leaders' unusual silence speaks volumes about the complexities of orchestra lockouts

Karen, you are absolutely right about this. Arbitration is ALWAYS hugely risky. If the MOA management had felt confident about what they were doing (i.e. telling the truth about the finances) , they should have gone for it. In my own personal experience, arbiters do not automatically tend to side with the "little guy".

In any event, one just suspects that the MOA management did not want their finances/plans scrutinized and/or will not accept anything other than what they have...