ISO willing to negotiate over holiday, musicians are not

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra is facing significant financial challenges.The labor agreement between the ISO and the musicians was set to expire Sunday.

The ISO says they were willing to use the holiday weekend to negotiate around the clock, the musicians union was not.

The ISO board and management team are taking necessary steps to close the financial gap while keeping to their artistic heritage, according to a release.

The musicians' contract expired Sunday. If a new contract is not signed by September 7, the ISO will be forced to cancel the first two weekends of performances.

Financially, the ISO’s annual economic impact and reputation to the community and state are significant.

However a spokesperson for the ISO says they are confident an agreement can be reached.

The ISO is asking for the continued support and investment of the community and are confident they will thrive in the years ahead.

Over the past ten years the orchestra’s expenses have increased faster than income. Ticket sales and contributed income have remained flat in recent economic times. They do say that artistic expense have continued to increase.

The ISO says they must balance their artistic goals with the financial constraints of the organization to assure their future for the next 100 years.

John Thornburgh with the ISO noted, “We must face the reality that the public has more and more options for spending their time, and donors have more and more causes vying for the same dollars. Hard as it is to contemplate, the model that Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Detroit and other orchestras have used for decades simply needs to be revisited, with the goal always being to retain and attract the highest quality possible with the resources available. ”