Merged Symphony, Musicians Reach Accord

After months of discord and accusations of unfair labor practices, Ventura County’s newly merged symphony has finally struck a deal with the local musicians union to fill its 70 open seats.

Under the deal signed Wednesday, New West Symphony will fill 40 chairs--without auditions--by Friday with musicians from the Conejo and Ventura County symphonies, which dissolved in the spring to form the new orchestra.

The symphony then will audition any remaining Conejo and Ventura County players before opening up the seats to all musicians.

The accord, reached three weeks before the symphony’s first concert, also requires the American Federation of Musicians to take New West off its list of employers engaging in unfair labor practices, a move that had banned all members from auditioning or playing for the orchestra.

Local union President Michael Smith said the deal is a compromise between musicians, who believed the newly formed symphony should fill all of its seats with former Ventura and Conejo players without auditions, and New West officials, who wanted all musicians to try out for the seats.

At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, union and symphony officials were visibly relieved as they sat side by side in a room at Thousand Oaks’ Civic Arts Plaza, where New West will hold its debut concert Oct. 6.

“This gives us a chance to achieve our goal, which is to build toward a world-class symphony in this area, which is what we wanted from the beginning,” said Lawrence Blonquist, president of New West’s board of directors.

Union officials said New West players would earn about 20% more than they did from the Ventura and Conejo symphonies.