Symphony, Musicians Reach Tentative Accord

A tentative contract agreement has been reached between the San Diego Symphony and locked-out musicians, sources close to the talks revealed Thursday.

The accord, which has been agreed upon only orally, not in writing, calls for a 2 1/2-year contract, including summer and winter seasons, and would begin with a pops season this summer. Sources would not divulge specific terms of the agreement such as budget figures, musicians’ salaries and the number of contracted weeks.

Former UC San Diego Chancellor William McGill was credited with bringing the two sides together. McGill was tapped by San Diego Mayor Maureen O’Connor in December to facilitate an agreement and a lasting solution to the debt-ridden symphony’s continuing financial woes.

Few Details Disclosed

Key parties to the talks revealed few details Thursday.

McGill, who could not be reached Thursday, has said that a key to any solution is getting the mayor’s backing. O’Connor, however, is waiting to see something in writing, Ben Dillingham, the mayor’s chief of staff, said Thursday.

Dillingham said that McGill met briefly with O’Connor and her key staff members Thursday to discuss the situation. The meeting, which began about 11 a.m. in the mayor’s office, included O’Connor, McGill, Dillingham, George Gildred and Doug Byrns, her assistant chief of staff. Gildred, whose family once owned the Fox Theatre, which has been converted to Symphony Hall, said he has been assisting McGill to put the symphony back on its feet.

“The subject (of an agreement) was not discussed,” Dillingham said. “As far as we are concerned, there has been no change to the status of the entire symphony situation. We’ve had an unsigned agreement now for a hell of a long time. Our position is that until you have something signed by both parties you don’t have anything.”

Symphony Executive Director Wesley O. Brustad released this statement: “In attempting to restore the operations of the orchestra, things are so fragile and delicately balanced that it is impossible for us to comment on any one element of the restoration process at this time.”

Symphony President Herbert J. Solomon had no comment, and musicians’ representative Gregory Berton also remained silent, honoring a request by McGill for a “news blackout.”

No Contract Since August

There has been no agreement between the symphony and the musicians since August, when the previous contract expired. The on-again, off-again negotiations have been under way since last June.

A contract, if it is signed, will bring to an end a dark period for the orchestra that began in September, a period during which the symphony locked out the players, canceled the winter season and ultimately disbanded the orchestra in January.

McGill came close to forging an agreement after the orchestra was disbanded. But the musicians rejected his call for binding arbitration, which included a proposal for a study commission that would review the symphony’s historic problems and propose long-term solutions.

The symphony’s downward spiral also included the loss of its music director and conductor, David Atherton, who resigned in February when he could not prevail on symphony officials to patch up their differences with orchestra members. At that time, symphony officials spurned Atherton’s proposal, citing a lack of cash because funding sources dried up with the cancellation of the winter season. Today, the symphony is still paying seven staff members but has no income.

Owes $1.5 Million

The ailing institution owes $1.5 million, including more than $700,000 to subscribers to the canceled winter season, symphony officials say.

There are still hurdles to overcome before the proposed contract can be signed:

- More than $1 million must be raised within weeks if there is to be a summer season this year. McGill confirmed several weeks ago that he has been quietly seeking financial support from a few major donors. At the time, he told a reporter he was afraid that if word of his efforts leaked out prematurely, it could scare off potential benefactors.

- The public image and credibility of the musicians and the symphony are at an all-time low.

- Musicians and symphony officials have not yet agreed to agree to the terms of the McGill plan, sources said. The plan calls for a commission consisting of a wide range of community leaders that would study “where the symphony went off the track,” and develop a long-term plan based on the experiences of other symphonies similar to San Diego’s, McGill has said.