Overview
- The orchestra announced a strike on Saturday, and the company canceled the Sept. 12 opening of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra and the free Opera in the Park concert.
- Musicians say management first offered a 26 percent pay cut and then a 20 percent reduction that would roll wages back to earlier years; the company says its five-year plan preserves annual earnings while changing how pay is scheduled.
- The strike followed months of talks after the contract expired July 31 and broke off when Saturday negotiations failed to produce an agreement.
- Reports that Music Director Eun Sun Kim told musicians she would resign if they struck were made by orchestra members and remain unconfirmed by Kim or the opera.
- The dispute exposes the company’s long-running budget gap shown in audited FY2025 figures, threatens major fundraising and public events, and raises concerns about recruiting and retaining younger players as programming has shrunk since before the pandemic.