FIRST OFF . . .

The New York City Opera officially canceled its fall season Thursday and threatened the same for its spring program unless striking musicians agree to a contract by next month. The 69-member orchestra has been without a contract since June 1 and struck on Sept. 13, opening night of the fall season. On Saturday, the union voted, 56-4, to reject a pact, and the opera said then that the season, scheduled to end Nov. 19, would be canceled if the orchestra members did not return. Martin Oppenheimer, the company’s vice chairman and lead negotiator, said Thursday that “obviously, we are extremely saddened by this development because it puts out of work hundreds of innocent people who rely on these jobs for their livelihood.” John Glasel, president of the union local, called the cancellation regrettable and said that the opera management’s deadline for reaching a contract “exemplifies the Neanderthal negotiating style of the company.” The opera and its musicians have been divided over wages and the number of work weeks that orchestra members are guaranteed annually. Musicians earned $755 a week under the old contract.