Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra - Chamber Series holiday concerts - Brass, Percussion and Harp Saturday Dec 8 and 9, 2012

The Baton Rouge Symphony orchestra Chamber Series presents Holiday Brass, Percussion and Harp in two performances for your family and friends.

Saturday December 8, 2012  8:00 PM at St Joseph Cathedral in downtown 

Baton Rouge

Sunday December 9, 2012 4:30 PM at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens in Gonzales

Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra

From the BRSO webpage

Conducting the ensemble David Torns, BRSO Assistant conductor

Tickets available online at

Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra

The Acadiana Symphony presents the Four Corners of Europe at its opening concert of the 2012-2013 season September 22

Join the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Mariusz Smolij, Saturday evening September 22, for a quick tour of Europe with works by Lutoslowski, Brahms, Sibelius and Respighi. Guest Artist is violinist Gyula Stuller

Concert time 7:30 PM

The Heyman Performing Arts Center

Layfayette, LA

For tickets, call 337.232. 4277

Collateral Damage, coming soon to this musician's blog - A tale of two stories, or what happens when the door is slammed in your face when you least expect it

The door to my musical home for the last  45 + years has been slammed in my face and I wasn't even expecting it, nor did I have all the necessary documentation to prevent it from happening .

Susan Whipple Rogers . . . . . . . . . SSO 2nd Horn . . . . . Collateral Damage . . . . . . . . . . . . 

So, here's a story for you

Remember when orchestra musicians received an update of "IMPORTANT CHANGES" and REVISIONS in a CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) before voting on a new  Contract Agreement? Especially, language in articles that have not seen notable revision in years? Not just salaries and services, but ALL pertinent information that might affect the way the orchestra members vote? 

Shouldn't providing this information in a timely manner be a requirement, at least a courtesy? But what if this same information is NEVER PROVIDED during the length of that current collective bargaining agreement? And what if that same language revision is suspect of inattentiveness, carelessness or lack of proofing? What if same language suddenly allows others to control your life and tenure in the orchestra without your knowledge because you've never seen the language and you are not privy to these revisions? Two years after the signing of "A" contract document by both parties and you've never seen this revised language, nor has it been provided to rank and file members of the orchestra. Suddenly within a period of two days, you are without your job and your income. 

Who is responsible for this "mistake" and the collateral damage fall out? And make no mistake, the collateral damage has fallen on only one member of the orchestra - me! Why? NO OTHER ORCHESTRA MEMBERS were effected because NO OTHER ORCHESTRA MEMBERS failed to receive an individual contract offer on May 15 after having received the legal INTENT LETTER for the coming season on March 15 during negotiations . Thank about it. An INTENT LETTER is issued "in good faith" on March 15 and rescinded on May 15, two months later.  Again, how does that situation happen? How was it "allowed" to happen and who is ultimately at fault?

What would you do if this situation happened to you? What avenues are open within the orchestra family and outside the family?