Atlanta Symphony Orchestra CEO resigns amid labor woes

The president and CEO of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra has resigned his position as the orchestra continues to grapple with a labor dispute with its musicians.

Stanley Romanstein joined the orchestra in 2010, having previously served as the head of the Minnesota Humanities Center. His resignation, which the orchestra’s board of directors announced Monday, is effective immediately.

“I believe that my continued leadership of the ASO would be an impediment to our reaching a new labor agreement with the ASO’s musicians,” Romanstein said in a prepared statement.

Orchestra leaders failed to reach a new contract with its musicians earlier this month, resulting in a lockout. Like a number of classical music organizations, the Atlanta Symphony is experiencing financial difficulties and has posted annual operating deficits for the last 12 years.

The symphony’s 2014 fiscal year saw a $2-million deficit, according to company leaders. In 2012, the orchestra locked out its musicians in a contract dispute that was eventually resolved after musicians agreed to $5.2 million in concessions.

Terry Neal, a current orchestra board member and a retired Coca-Cola executive, has been tapped to serve as president on an interim basis. The orchestra said Neal will manage the day-to-day operations of the orchestra until a permanent replacement can be found.

Last week, the orchestra canceled performances through early November as a result of the labor dispute.

Twitter: @DavidNgLAT