OLPA
News
Mar. 1/07 - Orchestra London Musicians Ratify New Agreement
Dec.15/06 - Letter of Support from Irene Mathyssen, Member of Parliament - London-Fanshawe
Dec.14/06 - Letter of Support from Tim Carrie, President CAW Local 27
Dec. 8/06 - London Free Press Readers agree OLC Musicians Deserve a Raise
Dec. 7/06 - Orchestra, musicians hit sour note, London Free Press Article by Ian Gillespie
Dec. 4/06 - CBC Radio Interview "Share the Gain" (.mp3 file)
Nov.22/06 - Musicians Take Talks Public, London Free Press Article by James Reaney
Nov.21/06 - Press Release: We've shared the pain, we deserve to share the gain.
Nov.20/06 - OLPA Case Summary
Oct. 8/06 - Orchestra's move deserves ovation
Sep. 6/06 - Can You Identify These Photos?
Sep. 4/06 - OLPA Members Celebrate Labour Day
Mar. 1/07 - Orchestra London Musicians Ratify New Agreement
The musicians and management of Orchestra London have finalized the terms for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, it was announced today.
"We are very happy to have reached a four-year agreement," says Executive Director Rob Gloor. "We can now focus all of our energies on our common objective…bringing great music to the community."
The new contract includes the current 2006/2007 season and extends through 2009/2010. The musicians will receive an average wage increase of 3.7% per year, plus improvements to pension and seniority benefits, and contributions to a new health plan.
Gloor acknowledges that the bargaining process was a long one. "Our challenge was to improve the overall well-being and development of the ensemble without exceeding the company’s financial capacity," Gloor says. "It took a lot of time and creativity, but we found an agreeable balance."
Sigmar Martin, chair of the Orchestra London Musicians Negotiating Committee, concurs. "The musicians wish to thank the audience and all supporters of the orchestra for their patience and concern throughout the bargaining process," he says. "We look forward to working together with the board and management to re-establish a positive environment conducive to excellence and growth in the organization."
A long bargaining process is not unusual in the world of orchestras, especially when negotiating a four year agreement, Gloor explains. "An orchestra’s contract is very complex," he says. "In these negotiations we made progress on a wide variety of issues that affect the musicians’ daily lives, and orchestra deserves every positive step we can reasonably afford."
Gloor concludes, "Orchestras across the country struggle to provide the best possible contracts for their professional musicians, and Orchestra London is no different. In reality, no contract can fully reflect the true value these artists bring to our community."
For more information, contact:
Rob Gloor, Executive Director, Orchestra London
Phone: 519.679.8558 x227 email: rgloor@orchestralondon.ca
Sig Martin, Chair, Orchestra London Musicians Negotiating Team
Phone: 519.318.9048 email: sigmar@sympatico.ca
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Dec.15/06 - Letter of Support from Irene Mathyssen, Member of Parliament - London-Fanshawe
Dec. 15, 2006
Mrs. Michelle Quintyn
President, Orchestra London Board of Directors
Dear Mrs. Quintyn:
I am sending this letter to you, copied to members of your board and others, in support of the contributions to our community of the members of Orchestra London. I do not presume to comment on your actual negotiations with them, since I have great respect for the collective bargaining process, and know that it must proceed without interference.
However, let me be unequivocal in my praise for what these dedicated musicians have contributed to London. Orchestra London is a jewel, and that is largely because of the wonderful skill and dedication of the orchestra members. Like the great majority of cultural workers, they clearly accept that there are limits to what they will earn in pursuing their craft. They have made many personal sacrifices in bringing great music to our city.
However, like all workers they have financial realities to face on behalf of themselves and their families. I urge your board to make sure that the musicians of Orchestra London are shown the appreciation they deserve as prime contributors to London's cultural scene. I feel it is important that the dedication of cultural workers, such as the musicians of Orchestra London, is not taken for granted. I hope that they will be able to continue to make London a musically vibrant city without compromise to their need to support themselves and their families.
I would welcome discussing this matter with you in more detail, should you wish.
Sincerely,
Originally signed
Irene Mathyssen
Member of Parliament, London-Fanshawe.
| Cc |
Mr. Rob Gloor, Executive Director, Orchestra London | |
Maestro Timothy Vernon, Music Director | |
Mr. Brent Kelman, V.P Finance, Orchestra London Board | |
Mrs. Aileen Wittenstein, V.P. Orchestra London Board | |
Mr. John Kennedy, Past President, OLC Board | |
Ms. Laurel Gosnell | |
Ms. Susan Hancock | |
Ms. Judith Hull | |
Ms. Linda Rice | |
Ms. Wendy Smith | |
Mr. Douglas Weldon | |
Ms. Kim Cechetto | |
Mrs. Elizabeth Kymlicka | |
Mr. Ralph Aldrich | |
Mr. Kirk Baines | |
Anne Marie DeCicco-Best, Mayor, City of London | |
Sig Martin, Chair OLPA Negotiating Team
|
Shawn Lewis
Constituency Assistant
Irene Mathyssen
Member of Parliament
London-Fanshawe
Phone: (519) 685-4745
Fax: (519) 685-1462
www.irenemathyssen.ca
mathyi1@parl.gc.ca
CEP 232
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Dec.14/06 - Letter of Support from Tim Carrie, President of CAW Local 27
Dear Mr. Gloor,
On behalf of the London distinct Labour Council and the Canadian Auto Workers Local 27 I wish to express our concerns with the status of negotiations with our fine musicians with Orchestra London.
I wish to make it clear that our organizations are watching the progress in bargaining very closely. We are prepared to at a moments notice to supply both financial and logistics help to the orchestra members in the event of a dispute.
Mr. Gloor I bargain on behalf of the 7000 members of Local 27 on a frequent basis. We represent members in manufacturing, health care and the service sector. We have bargained over thirty agreements in the last three years and all without work stoppage. The reason for this success is the employers recognition that needs of their workforce need to be addressed as well as the needs of the employer.
I urge you to bargain seriously with this group and reach an agreement that is fair and equitable.
Yours truly,
Tim Carrie
President
CAW Local 27
&
London District Labour Council
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Dec.8/06 - London Free Press Readers agree OLC Musicians Deserve a Raise
An online poll on the London Free Press website confirmed that London Free Press readers agree that the musicians of Orchestra London deserve a raise. Almost 2 out of 3 respondents sided with the musicians' by voting "Yes" to the Online Poll.
In your opinion, do the musicians who work for Orchestra London deserve a raise?
Reference: London Free Press News Poll Results Archive
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Dec.7/06 - Orchestra, musicians hit sour note
By IAN GILLESPIE
London Free Press
Protest pickets.
Onstage heckling. Backstage disharmony.
As cellist Jeff Garrett says, "It's getting kind of nasty for
an arts organization."
There's a discordant mood at Orchestra London, where musicians and
management have locked horns in an increasingly bitter labour dispute,
which could, if not resolved, prove catastrophic for the local symphony.
Of course, piccolo players, violinists and French horn specialists
aren't exactly the Teamsters. And it remains to be seen whether
these artists can summon enough solidarity to seriously challenge
the orchestra's management.
But according to Garrett, the musicians are fed up with what they
see as insultingly unfair pay. And they're not going to take it
anymore.
"It's getting quite close (to a strike)," says Garrett,
spokesperson for the Orchestra London Players' Association (OLPA).
"The players are very, very mad."
The bottom line here is money, although you may be surprised to
learn how little money is actually involved.
Under terms of their current contract, which expired June 30), most
of the 29 full-time musicians (there are also 17 part-time musicians)
are paid $23,223 for working a 36-week season. Section leaders are
paid about 25 per cent more. According to the OLPA, that season
includes as many as 240 rehearsals and performances.
Musicians are also expected to practise two to four hours per day
and buy and maintain their own instruments, which are often valued
at more than $20,000. They receive no dental, drug, disability or
health benefits.
That's bad enough.
But the musicians are even more incensed by the fact that at a time
when the symphony's operating revenue is at an all-time high, tickets
sales are healthy and wages in other sectors of the organization
have increased (OLPA claims that during the past six years, conductors'
wages have risen 54 per cent, administration salaries have increased
74 per cent and payments to guest artists have risen 234 per cent),
the base pay for musicians has inched up only 1.5 per cent per year
since 2000.
"All of us (musicians) are subsidizing the orchestra every
day . . . and it's not right," says Garrett. "It (the
orchestra's turnaround) has been done on the backs of the players."
The musicians argue that Orchestra London spends less on its musicians
than almost any other professional orchestra in the country. The
OLPA claims Orchestra London spends only 29 per cent of its $3.7
million operating budget to pay its players, compared to an average
of about 40 per cent at other orchestras.
I put these numbers to Orchestra London executive director Rob Gloor,
but he refuses to be drawn into a discussion of the musicians' claims.
"The figures that are being presented (by the musicians) aren't
good comparables," says Gloor. "It's hard to comment on
one thing without going into a very long explanation about how that
relates to another thing, which is one of the reasons I feel this
type of discussion should stay at the (negotiating) table."
Gloor did say that despite a $340,000 deficit incurred during the
2005-06 season, the symphony was able to use a previously accumulated
surplus to reduce the deficit to about $130,000.
He also says there are two negotiating sessions scheduled during
the next two weeks, a conciliator has been appointed and he's optimistic
both sides will "reach a positive next phase for this contract."
Gloor sounds confident. But top brass may have underestimated the
musicians, who have gone public with their complaints.
In addition to contacting the media, musicians passed out information
pamphlets at several recent concerts. That prompted Gloor to clamber
onstage and state management's position on the dispute. And that,
in turn, apparently prompted some heckling from the orchestra.
For the symphony and its loyal fans, this dispute is critical to
their future.
For the rest of us, there's a different lesson on display: Working
in the arts may be creatively rewarding, but its financial rewards
are often paltry.
Email: igillespie@lfpress.com
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Nov.
22/06 - Musicians take talks public
James Reaney, Arts & Entertainment Columnist
The London Free Press
After months
of contract negotiations, Orchestra London's musicians are cranking
up the volume.
"It's just about having a living wage. That's what we're after,"
Orchestra London Players' Association spokesperson Jeff Garrett
said yesterday.
The musicians went public about negotiations in a media release.
Musicians are paid $23,223 for a 36-week season, the statement said.
They're seeking an increase to $30,000 over a new, four-year deal,
Garrett said.
Orchestra London's executive director Rob Gloor declined to comment
on specifics in the statement.
"I don't agree that we should be discussing our negotiations
and points and proposals publicly at this stage," Gloor said.
"We're still at the table and I think we're making progress."
No interruption in the orchestra's schedule is expected in the foreseeable
future, Gloor said.
With Timothy Vernon conducting and London-raised clarinet player
Simon Aldrich as a guest, the orchestra plays at St. Paul's Cathedral
tonight at 8 p.m.
The musicians' previous four-year deal expired June 30 and negotiations
for a new contract began several months before it ended. Musicians
have given their negotiators a strike mandate, Garrett said.
"Basically, the public owns the orchestra (through government
support and private and corporate donations)," Garrett said.
So the musicians' campaign is designed to encourage the public to
take its concerns to the orchestra board. He said he hopes any job
action by musicians take will not disrupt financial support the
orchestra gets from government or other sources.
The musicians are employees of Orchestra London Canada, but get
no extended health benefits, dental, prescription, or disability
benefits, their statement said. "Working 130 rehearsals and
90 concerts for $23,223 without benefits is a ridiculous bargain,"
said Garrett.
Operating revenue for the orchestra is at an all-time high of $3.7
million, and others have gained financially, while they have lost
ground, the musicians said. After making concessions and playing
scores of free concerts to raise money when the orchestra faced
bankruptcy in 2000, their wages have failed to keep pace with increases
in the cost of living over those years, the musicians said.
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Nov.21/06 - Press Release:
‘We’ve shared the pain, we deserve to share the gain.’
Contact: Jeff Garrett, OLPA spokesperson, (519) 433-9818, garrettli@sympatico.ca
Orchestra London musicians consider job action
Frustrated with the pace of negotiations, Orchestra London musicians have decided to alert the public to their quest for a living wage as they prepare for job action.
Musicians are seeking an increase in wages at a time when operating revenue for the orchestra is at an all-time high. During the past six years, the orchestra’s operating budget has more than doubled, wages for stage hands have gone up 202 per cent and compensation for administration has risen 74 per cent. During the same period, musicians’ salaries have inched up an average of 1.5 per cent a year.
"When times were tough, the musicians were always willing to help out," said Jeff Garrett, Orchestra London Players’ Association (OLPA) spokesperson. Garrett recalled tough financial times in 2000 when the musicians donated their pay cheques to the orchestra and performed more than 70 free concerts throughout London and region to raise money for the ‘Looney Campaign’.
"To get the organization back on its feet, we signed a four -year agreement in 2002 with no increase in the first year. This has happened at every negotiation during the past 30 years. We’ve shared the pain, we deserve to share the gain."
Musicians currently get paid $23,223 for a 36-week season. They are employees of Orchestra London Canada, but receive no extended health benefits, dental, prescription, or disability benefits. "Working 130 rehearsals and 90 concerts for $23,223 without benefits is a ridiculous bargain," said Garrett.
Garrett hopes any job action musicians take will not disrupt the support the orchestra gets from government, corporations or private citizens, which is why they have launched a campaign to alert stakeholders to the issues.
"Since the Orchestra’s survival depends on the support of the public, and since we have enjoyed such steadfast support, we felt it only fair that we let our partners in the community know about the issues," said Garrett.
"We hope not to have to withdraw services or disrupt the season in any way," Garrett said. "We would prefer to come to a settlement with the board, but for that to happen, they need to share the gain. We hope people will join us in sending that message to the board."
The sad truth about playing in Orchestra London
Musicians donated their pay cheques to the orchestra and performed more than 70 free concerts in 2000 to help the orchestra through tough financial times. Despite the fact the operating budget has doubled since then, wages to musicians have not even increased as much as the cost of living.
During the past six years, wages for administration have gone up 74 per cent and wages for the stage crew have gone up 202 per cent, while wages for musicians inched up only 1.5 per cent a year during that time.
Orchestra London spends less on musicians than any other professional orchestra in the country, except the problem-plagued Vancouver Symphony Orchestra — 29 per cent of the operating budget compared to an average of 40 per cent. In spite of that, Orchestra London remains one of the country’s finest ensembles and one of North America’s most versatile.
Orchestra London musicians are employees who get paid $23,223 for a 36-week season, during which time they practice and perform in excess of 40 hours a week, including nights and weekends. Musicians get no compensation for supplying or repairing their own instruments for the job. They pay their own benefits. They supply their own transportation to and from concerts.
Orchestra London management wants to limit musicians’ ability to take on additional work outside the orchestra.
Orchestra London’s operating revenue has grown to an all-time high of $3.7 million, while wages for musicians have been virtually flat, yet administration claims to have run a deficit for the past two years. Small deficits are a normal part of the business cycle for a not for profit organization. In the past few years we have swung between surpluses and deficits. Often, deficits coincidentally appear at negotiation time. Our own independent financial analysis demonstrates that management is handling itself well, and that their books are in order.
Orchestra London musicians have shared the pain during tough financial times.
If you think Orchestra London’s board and management should share the gains
that are the result of the musicians’ artistry and dedication,
call or write Orchestra London management and tell them:
"Share the gain."
The musicians of Orchestra London appreciate your support.
Orchestra London Contacts:
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Nov.20/06 - OLPA Case Summary
Download
a copy of the OLPA Case Summary 
Orchestra
London Canada has made a remarkable recovery from its near-extinction
in 2000. The operating budget has more than doubled to $4.2 million
(including an annual staged opera). The orchestra has had stable
leadership on the Board, in the Administration, and in its Music
Directorship. Revenue from government and community sources has
increased by approximately $500,000.00. Ticket revenues have increased
by roughly $900,000.00. A recently-created Education and Outreach
Program has generated substantial funding, attracted sponsorships,
and now boasts both a full-time Coordinator and an Assistant Conductor.
In 2002 Orchestra London's contracted musicians committed to a four
year contract with minimal wage increases (as they had done many
times in the past, including in 2001) in order to save the orchestra,
to bring the organization out of bankruptcy protection, and to secure
its future. Now they find that in the years since 2000 - a period
in which the musicians' modest standard of living has decreased
by five percent - Administrative wages have increased by $232,496.00
(74%). Conductors' wages have increased by $76,858.00 (54%). Payments
to Guest Artists have increased by $270,196.00 (234%). Wages paid
to the Stage Crew have increased by $125,685.00 (202%). Payments
to non-contracted players have increased by $55,211.00 (66%).
This is great news for everyone except those contracted musicians
who today, despite having no contract in place and being engaged
in difficult negotiations, continue to present concerts for your
enjoyment and for your children's education. The musicians' base
salary back in 2000 - the salary of a newly-hired full-time rank-and-file
member - was so modest that it amounted to less than 36% of the
median family income in London (according to Statistics Canada).
By 2005 it languished 18% below the Canadian Council on Social Development's
poverty line for a family of three. That base salary, which in 2000
sat at $21,248.00, has since risen by just 9% to $23,223.00 - a
rate of increase which, as noted above, represents a substantial
decrease in their standard of living (inflation since 2000 having
approached 15%).
In the current negotiations the musicians are requesting that, by
the 2009-2010 season, their base pay rise to $30,000. This is barely
more than half of 2000's median family income in London. With their
current base rate at $23,223.00, the actual cost of such an increase
is fair and affordable; and they consider this a minimal figure
considering that none of them receives health benefits of any sort
from the orchestra and many of them incur hundreds or thousands
of dollars in annual professional expenses.
Orchestra London is a publicly funded charitable organization. According
to its website, "Orchestra London is committed to being one
of Canada's greatest orchestras." Yet without the passion and
commitment of its musicians - without their being able to live and
to raise their families in even modest security or dignity - the
orchestra cannot hope to aspire to, much less attain, this goal.
The orchestra's Board of Directors is in a position to nurture every
aspect of the organization and has clearly directed large funding
increases in many directions, yet thus far the musicians' financial
well-being seems the least of its priorities.
Orchestra London's musicians are asking for nothing more than fair
compensation and respect from their organization and for modest
comfort and security for their families. They fervently hope for
an amicable settlement in these ongoing negotiations, and hope for
your understanding and support as they continue to labour in the
absence of a contract.
DID YOU KNOW?
- More than
70% of Orchestra London's contracted musicians have played with
the Orchestra for 15 years or more. They have grown with the organization
- through its name changes and a number of Music Directors - to
become a nationally-acclaimed ensemble with a unified sound and
spirit.
- Orchestra
London's musicians bring a wealth of training and musical experience
to Orchestra London and the community. Many of them have studied
at top universities and conservatories in North America and around
the world, including The Eastman School of Music, The Juilliard
School, Oberlin Conservatory, Indiana University, the Franz Liszt
Academy of Music, Yale University, the San Francisco Conservatory,
McGill University, the University of Michigan, the Conservatoire
de Musique de Genève, the University of Toronto, the University
of Western Ontario, the Staatlich Hochschule für Musik in
Freiburg….
- Orchestra
London's musicians reach out into the community as arts educators
and musical leaders. They teach private lessons to aspiring students
of all levels, they coach student chamber groups, and they are
lecturers or professors at the University of Western Ontario.
They participate in chamber music performances, solo recitals,
in churches and with choirs. They are at the heart of our city's
musical life.
- In the course
of a symphony season, which runs from late September to early
June, Orchestra London's musicians play as many as 240 rehearsals
and performances. Although their training is mostly in the classical
tradition, they are at home while playing many styles, including
opera and avant-garde classical music as well as big band, jazz,
Broadway musicals, and even rock. Some days they may rehearse
Beethoven and Brahms in the morning and perform Lerner and Loewe
in the evening.
- Often, Orchestra
London's musicians receive their orchestral music on a few days'
(or even a moment's) notice. Their extensive musical training
and experience enable them to sight read and learn difficult parts
in a very short time.
- Much has
been written lately about what makes a "Creative City".
Creative cities have a special cultural environment - full of
activity and community spirit. As members of London's fully professional
orchestra, Orchestra London's musicians are proud to contribute
to making London a creative city and a more attractive place for
people to live and work.
- Since 2000,
Orchestra London's budget has increased by more than 100%. Wages
have increased substantially for many parts of the organization,
but the musicians' real earnings have decreased. Those musicians
have loyally sacrificed income over many years to ensure the survival
of Orchestra London in difficult times, and the base salary of
a full-time rank-and-file musician currently sits at just $23,223
per year.
- Orchestra
London's musicians are currently working without a contract and
are striving to negotiate a new one with Orchestra London's Management
and Board. They are simply asking for minimal financial security
for themselves and their families. They hope for a favourable
outcome, but thus far a strike or a lock-out appears a real possibility.
Download
a copy of the OLPA Case Summary
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Oct. 8/06 - Orchestra's move deserves ovation
James Reaney, Arts & Entertainment Columnist
The London Free Press
|
NEW
DIGS: Orchestra London opens its
Ovation series
in a new venue, the Forest City Community Church, which boasts
raked seating, good acoustics and an intimate setting.
(MORRIS LAMONT The London Free Press)
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GUTSY
MOVE: Orchestra London reaches forward by opening its Ovation
series in a new venue. (MORRIS LAMONT The London Free Press)
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The moon looked
in the window, a light gleamed over the rippling pond -- and Orchestra
London played beautifully and magically on an October night somewhere
along Bostwick Road.
My intention
isn't to review the first night of Orchestra London's Ovation seriesseason
at the Forest City Community Church. If you were there Wednesday
(Oct. 4) night, you were probably standing to applaud Croatian pianist
Kemal Gekic's stellar performance of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto
No. 3. (The same is no doubt true of Thursday's (Oct. 5) concert,
with music director Timothy Vernon again conducting).
I also loved
the Shostakovich Symphony No. 1 in the program's second half, but
that's enough of a review. My intention is to applaud the gutsy
and imaginative decision to move the orchestra's flagship series
to the lovely southwest London church.
If you
weren't there Wednesday or Thursday, you really should find your
way to 3725 Bostwick Rd. on Dec. 13-14, when Canadian soprano Monica
Whicher joins the orchestra for Strauss's Four Last Songs.
A fortunate
encounter brought the orchestra and its audience to the church.
It turns out Rob Gloor, the orchestra's executive director, had
been there for his niece's baptism. (The Forest City Community Church,
a building only about 18 months old, is beautiful and inspiring.
Details are available on its website -- see link).
Reflecting on
the space, Gloor thought the church's 900-seat auditorium (increasing
to 1,100 capacity when the balcony is completed) would be an intimate
place for the orchestra's large-scale classical repertoire.
Yes, enthusiastically,
to that. Intimate? Seated on the aisle at one side -- near the windows,
with the moon and pond out in the big world -- I was still able
to see Gekic smile to himself when Vernon and the orchestra and
Rachmaninoff were stirring him.
As for its other
attractions, the church auditorium has clear, even acoustics, Gloor
says. With its tiered theatre seating, there isn't a bad seat in
the house, he says. There were about 800 of us there Oct. 4. Everybody
I met seemed happy -- no, make that delighted -- by the venue.
As for acoustics,
well, the orchestra never sounded better to these ears -- admittedly,
ears better adjusted to the Who at the John Labatt Centre.
One non-musical
occurrence early in the Shostakovich really encouraged me. After
a marvellous stillness during the Rachmaninoff, the beastly sound
of a mechanical system could be heard. Such noises have annoyed
me at the downtown London arena, Centennial Hall and the Wolf Performance
Hall as death to the magic in music. Just as suddenly, the mechanical
drone disappeared. Talk about magic.
Making the switch
from Centennial Hall to the church required the magic of imagination,
as noted. It also took courage.
Orchestra London's
total revenue has increased by 65 per cent and audience subscriptions
are up 36 per cent since 2000. But those numbers dipped slightly,
by 1.7 per cent, for the 2005-2006 season.
Gloor, Vernon,
the board, the musicians and others could have looked away from
that decline. Instead, they chose to confront it.
That's gutsy.
For their part, hundreds of subscribers found their way past the
fields and along an 80-km/h stretch of Bostwick Road -- you want
to turn south off Southdale about a klick west of Wonderland --
to the music. That's gutsy, too.
In all this
ovation for Ovation, I have stayed away from the issue of Centennial
Hall or the need for a performing arts centre. The hall has a continuing
place as home to several series. The Pops (opening Oct. 14-15) ,
Red Hot Weekends (next one is Nov. 24-25) and Family series (first
one is Oct. 22) all call it home. The orchestra can also be heard
in such settings as St. Paul's Cathedral, Metropolitan United Church,
Beal secondary school auditorium and the Or Shalom Synagogue.
It also happens
the next Ovation concert is a one-night encounter at Centennial
Hall with Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, in which it joins the Kitchener-
Waterloo Symphony on Nov. 8.
I am mindful
that the KWS orchestra is in a crisis, needing $2.5 million by October's
end to survive. But I am also confident that if Kitchener-Waterloo
has someone rich enough to buy the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins, it
will have the community cash to see its orchestra keeps its London
date and more.
I choose to
believe all will be right on the night of the Rite at Centennial
Hall. You should be there.
I also believe
you will join in the ovation if you join the orchestra at its new
Ovation venue. Bostwick Road just sounds like the place to be.
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Sept. 6/06 - Can You Identify These Photos?
We uncovered
a few vintage Orchestra London photos and we'd love your help to
establish the year they were taken and/or any other information
you might provide. Please send your comments to OLPA Chair Jeff
Garrett . THANKS!
1975; the
first year of the professional core. Clifford Evens conducts.
1988
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Sept. 4/06 - OLPA Members Celebrate Labour Day
The London
and District Labour Council held its annual Labour Day Picnic
on Monday Sept. 4th from 1:00 - 4:00 pm in Thames Park. Several
OLPA members donated their time and talents to this great community
event which many agreed was the best ever! Along with soaking up
some beautiful music, picnic attendees enjoyed 2,600 hotdogs, soft
drinks, ice cream and a great day with family and friends. Among
the dignitaries attending was London mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best.
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| OLPA
members Karen Kjeldson and Jeffrey Garrett |
Abbey
Spicer with dad (OLPA member Shawn Spicer) and a friend |
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| OLPA
members Sigmar Martin, Jeffrey Garrett and Mary-Beth Brown |
A
Real Clown; OLPA members Louis Bellhouse and Ian Franklin |
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