Photo by Kristen Loken
New York is not the only place where vital orchestra contract talks are being held. San Francisco Opera's two major contracts are with Musicians Union Local 6 — AFL, for the orchestra, and AGMA for singers and dancers. Without any publicity — a good sign — negotiations with the orchestra are under way for a new contract after the current one expires at the end of next month. (The AGMA contract runs 2012 through February, 2016.)
Shortly after his arrival as SFO General Manager, David Gockley successfully negotiated an orchestra contract running from 2006 through 2011. Then, in an unusual move, even during Great Recession days, the SFO administration and the Musicians Union reached a contract ahead of the deadline, to cover the period from Aug. 1, 2011, to July 31, 2014.
Asked for comment, Gockley only confirmed that "negotiations are underway," and Local 6 President David Schoenbrun responded: "Everyone is working hard to find common ground." Cautious and general as these statements may be, they represent a huge difference with the war of words in New York.
As San Francisco has nothing like the Met's out-of-control budget problems and with Gockley's history — both here and in Houston — of good relations with staff and unions, there is hope that well before the opening of the fall season, the matter will be settled. There are such large-scale preparations for fall opera that working with the security of a settled contract is essential.