Oct 13, 2018

Lyric Opera of Chicago & Orchestra Members End Labor Dispute

By David Salazar

The labor dispute between the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Chicago Federation of Musicians Local #10-208 (CFM) has finally come to an end.

Per a press release from the Lyric Opera of Chicago management, a new agreement was reached on Saturday that extends into the 2020-21 season. It has to be ratified by the CFM members, though in all likelihood that is but a formality at this point.

While the Lyric Opera had reached agreements with most labor unions earlier this week, it could not find middle ground with the members of the orchestra who rejected an offer last Friday before going on strike on Tuesday. This forced the company to cancel two performances, which eventually became three when the company tried to make another offer on Thursday and found itself rejected.

Details of the agreement have yet to be released and it will be interesting to where concessions were made. The orchestra was adamantly against the company’s decision to cut its season from 24 weeks to 22 weeks and force it to cut down on five orchestra members.

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By David Salazar

Prior to creating OperaWire, DAVID SALAZAR, (Editor-in-Chief) worked as a reporter for Latin Post where he interviewed major opera stars including Placido Domingo, Anna Netrebko, Vittorio Grigolo, Diana Damrau and Rolando Villazon among others. His 2014 interview with opera star Kristine Opolais was cited in a New York Times Review.

He also had the opportunity of interviewing numerous Oscar nominees, Golden Globe winners and film industry giants such as Guillermo del Toro, Oscar Isaac and John Leguizamo among others.

David holds a Masters in Media Management from Fordham University. During his time at Fordham, he studied abroad at the Jagiellonian University in Poland. He also holds a dual bachelor’s from Hofstra University in Film Production and Journalism.