Talks continue with ISO and musicians

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Talks continue between the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and its musicians.

Their contract has expired, and if a deal is not reached soon the curtain won't go up on some scheduled performances.

The group is in contract talks with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and it doesn't sound good.

"It's devastating to the musicians, all of us," said Jack Brennan, the ISO's Principal Timpanist.

According to ISO management, the organization has a $10 million annual deficit. In order to fix that they want to make changes. Those changes include paying some of the musicians on an "as needed basis,” cutting wages, and reducing the schedule to 36 weeks.

"We've had a world class symphony orchestra for generations here and that's what we are afraid of losing," Brennan said.

Brennan has held his job for more than a decade.

"What we are concerned about is that the current offer right now is just going to throw all that away in one fell swoop," he said,

"It would be very unfortunate and we're trying to do everything we can to avoid that," said Jerry Montgomery.

Montgomery has worked for the ISO for 32 years as one of the French horn players. He said reducing staff, his salary and the number of weeks he works won’t work.

"It's taken so many years for us to build up the product, the quality that we have," he said.

Quality that's seen in the ISO’s image. They've been finding all the right notes, revamping their style, even bringing in a vibrant new conductor, Krzysztof Urbanski.

He leads a musical staff not knowing if they will ever play another note.

"I'm sure he's concerned about what's going on here right now cause I'm sure what they are trying to make the ISO into is not what he signed on to, it's not the orchestra that he agreed to be the leader of," said Brennan.

The musicians want to continue bargaining and have proposed a meeting with the ISO on Wednesday Sept. 5.

24-Hour News 8 received a statement Monday night from Jackie Groth, the Interim President and CEO of the ISO. That statement said:

"Unfortunately, the musicians seem to be communicating more with the media than with us -- as they've never even hinted at September 5 as a possible date. They previously told us that they had no time or availability between August 31 and September 12. We, of course, stand ready to meet, as we have on more than 40 dates that have been proposed prior to the contract's expiration."

The musicians' contract expired on Saturday.

ISO Board Chairman John Thornburg said in a release that unless a new contact is signed by Sept. 7, the ISO will be forced to cancel its first two weekends of performances this season.