Yuri Temirkanov
Photo: IMG Artists
In a financially bad situation, the Baltimore Symphony is preparing to reduce its season from 52 to 40 weeks and cut the musicians’ pay roughly by 20 percent. The musicians are locked out and negotiations appear to be in a deadlock. Now, Yuri Temirkanov, the former Music Director of the Baltimore Symphony, has written a letter from Russia expressing his support for the musicians.
In a letter from June 25, Temirkanov, currently the Artistic Director of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic says: « I have heard of your recent challenges and am following from afar your firm resistance to board and management efforts to reduce the artistic quality of the Orchestra by reducing the number of weeks of full-time employment. I want to ensure you of my support for you and all that you are working to achieve to preserve and perpetuate the high artistic standards of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. »
The musicians also had the support from former Music Director David Zinman, yet have not heard any comment from the current Music Director Marin Alsop.
