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| The Cleveland Orchestra’s concert canceled amid strike by musicians’ union CLEVELAND— The decision by Cleveland Orchestra musicians and their union to strike has resulted in the cancellation of the concert scheduled for September 26 at Severance Music Center. “We are deeply disappointed by the union’s decision to strike after we clearly communicated that we had more to offer and wanted to keep negotiating. The union made this decision without having received anything close to our best offer. We’ve only held 11 negotiating sessions thus far compared with an average of 15 sessions over the last two negotiations. This strike is as premature as it is unnecessary,” said André Gremillet, President & CEO of The Cleveland Orchestra. The two parties have been at the bargaining table since July and have made progress on many issues that are important to our musicians, like parental leave, workload, touring, and hiring practices. The musicians’ collective bargaining agreement expired on August 30. On September 2, the Orchestra and the union agreed to extend the agreement through September 23 while negotiations continued. Despite our clear statement at the negotiating table that the latest offer we presented was far from being our final offer, the union refused to present a counterproposal on salary and instead decided to strike. The union demanded 25 percent in total salary increases over three years, which is simply not sustainable for the institution. “We remain committed to negotiating in good faith with the musicians’ union to develop an agreement that ensures The Cleveland Orchestra musicians’ compensation remains competitive with their peers in the other great orchestras around the world while protecting our future,” Gremillet said. More negotiation sessions are scheduled for later this week. The Cleveland Orchestra’s September 25 concert at the University of Michigan has also been canceled because of the strike. At this time, no further concerts have been canceled. Other events at Severance Music Center, including Zade Dirani Live in Concert on October 1, Hispanic Heritage Month Community Celebration on October 3, Thee Phantom & The Illharmonic Orchestra on October 10, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis on October 16, and the Halloween Spooktacular on October 25, will go on as planned. “To our guests, we are saddened to be forced to cancel scheduled concerts and regret the inconvenience. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to welcoming you back to Mandel Concert Hall soon,” Gremillet said. Information for ticketholders Guests with tickets to The Cleveland Orchestra’s concert on September 26 at Severance Music Center can obtain a refund for the value of the tickets or exchange the tickets for any future Cleveland Orchestra performance during the 2026–27 season.Ticketholders should contact the Severance Music Center Ticket Office at 216-231-1111. The ticket office is open weekdays 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information and updates, go to clevelandorchestra.com/negotiations. |