Ten musicians from the St Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) have
retired from the ensemble. Seven are string players, and all the
retiring musicians have played in the orchestra for at least 30
years.
An incentivised retirement package for players aged 55 and older
was part of the contract signed by musicians and management in
April this year. The new contract, which ended a 191-day lockout,
also cut base pay by around $15,000 and stipulated that the
orchestra would be reduced from 34 to 28 players.
The departing string players are violinists Thomas Kornacker,
Brenda Mickens and Michal Sobieski, violists Evelina Chao and Tamás
Strasser, and both the orchestra's double bassists, Christopher
Brown and Fred Bretschger.
According to the SPCO
website, just 19 musicians remain on the orchestra's roster, and
one of them – cellist David Huckaby – is on a leave of
absence.
The orchestra is set to begin its 2013–14 season in September with
concerts in Mears Park and the Ordway Center (pictured) in St Paul,
and the Ted Mann Concert Hall in Minneapolis.
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