Minnesota – Page 19 – Thoughts Towards a Better World

#739 – Dick Bernard: Celebrating N. American Country Relationships at the Canadian Consul-Generals Home, June 26, 2013

June 27, 2013/0 Comments/in Economics, History, International Relations, Labor, Links, Minnesota, Peace & Justice /by dickbernard

Ours is an extraordinarily complex society which, perhaps defensively, too often retreats into shorter-than-shorthand descriptors to describe ourselves and others.
So, one says “Canada” and it means something, as does “Mexico”, or “NAFTA”, or on and on and on. Snap judgments often based on little information cause all of us serious problems.
Thus, it was a privilege to view for a moment, yesterday afternoon, positive relationships between neighbor countries on a Cedar Lake shore lawn, hosted by the Minneapolis Consul-General of Canada and his spouse, Jamshed and Pheroza Merchant. The occasion was an early celebration of Canada Day, and the specific purpose, per the invitation, “for a special tribute to Canada-U.S.-Mexico cooperation, from twenty years of NAFTA to the Trans-Pacific Partnership.”
Like any negotiation, these agreements are imperfect, but better than no agreement at all. They provide some “rules for the road” to trade relationships, and they are constantly being reviewed and, likely, re-negotiated.
(click to enlarge photos)

Canada Consul-General Jamshed Merchant, Minneapolis, June 26, 2013

Perhaps I was invited to attend because I am “French-Canadian” representing a fledgling organization “French-America Heritage Foundation (F-AHF)“. The words hardly begin to define the complexity – there are hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans who share in one way or another French-Canadian roots, and many more whose roots are directly from France, or have as native tongue the French language, or interest in same. I am only one.
Then you expand this to the word “French” and it becomes far more complex still. My friend and fellow F-AHF Board member Francine Roche, Quebecoise, also at the gathering, could discuss this complexity at a much deeper level than I.
Suffice to say that on that lawn we heard representatives of Canada, Minnesota (the U.S.) and Mexico speak of the trade relationship between their three countries which this year involves over $1 trillion dollars in economic activity this way and that. I saw this relationship this afternoon in the local Toyota dealer while having my car repaired. The new car stickers invariably cited where the car components were made and assembled, mostly U.S. and Canada (“U.S./Canada”) and Japan….
We might pretend we are omnipotent: “the United States”. As one of the speakers described us, for them it is like “sleeping next to the giant”, but the relationships are far more complex than that, going back many years, transcending that hideous wall of separation along the Mexican border that supposedly is needed to resolve the illegal immigration question in our congress; or the much more benign symbol of international friendship, the Peace Garden between North Dakota and Manitoba, which goes back to the 1930s.
Several handouts at the gathering help define the terms, especially U.S. and Canada, and I’ve attempted to reduce them to readable pdf’s, as follows:
1. Canada-U.S. Partnership Map:Canada-U.S.001
2. Celebrating the Canada-Minnesota Partnership: Canada-U.S. Brochure001
3. Minnesota-Canada-U.S. Brochure: Canada-Minnesota001
4. NAFTA Works, from the Trade and NAFTA office, Mexico’s Ministry of the Economy: Mexico-U.S.-Canada002
In addition to Mr. Merchant, great weather, fine wine and magnificent food, those of us in attendance heard interesting remarks from representatives of the respective countries.
Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Yvonne Prettner Solon spoke of the close relationship we share with our neighbors to north and south; as did Alberto Fierro Garza, brand new Consul of Mexico in St. Paul; and Mr. Lyle Stewart, Saskatchewan Minister of Agriculture.
Boundaries may divide us, but in so many ways, we are all part of North America, and indeed, of the entire planet. And I felt honored to be part of the gathering to see this demonstrated.
In our nation and world the political issue will continue, but we are lucky to have people in all countries who can see beyond differences and the short-term, and view the greater good of all.
Here are a few photos from yesterday:

MN Lt Gov Yvonne Prettner Solon June 26, 2013

Consul for Mexico in St. Paul, Alberto Fierro Garza June 26, 2013

Saskatchewan Minister of Agriculture Lyle Stewart June 26, 2013

Listening to speakers at the Canada Consul-Generals lawn party June 26, 2013

Cathy Bernard and Francine Roche at the Consul Generals gathering June 26

#737 – Dick Bernard: JUNE 24, 2013: Saint John the Baptist/la Saint-Jean Baptiste National Holiday of French Canada

June 24, 2013/1 Comment/in Community, History, Minnesota /by dickbernard

UPDATE on June 25 gathering: see end of this post
Also, see Comment below Masqueray grave photo
Bulletin from Dr. Virgil Benoit:
This afternoon (Monday, June 24), in northeast Minneapolis, there will be a celebration in honor of heritage beginning at 4:30 PM at Pierre Bottineau Park located at: 2000 2nd St. NE Minneapolis (Here’s Map link.
4:30–4:45 Gathering
4:45-5:00 Welcome by President of the French American Heritage Foundation (FAHF), Mark Labine
5:00–5:15 Story by Noel Labine
5:15—5:30 A sense of heritage from Rev. Jules Omalanga; and
Jerry Amiot, AFRAN (Association des Français du Nord) : An invitation to know AFRAN
5:30–6:00 Supper (Soupe aux pois, tourtière, plus items to be added) Free
Some activities and visiting will continue until 7PM.
Everyone is welcome to this first in recent times of a commemoration of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste.
Sponsored by Initiatives in French Midwest (IFMidwest), Virgil Benoit, Director in collaboration with The American-French Heritage Foundation
While not in the invitation, I believe that “pot luck” items are welcome.
*
Today, June 24, is the feast St-Jean Baptiste, has long been a festive holiday in Quebec, and in various ways in other French-Canadian “nests”. It came with the original French settlers to Canada in the 1600s. It was part of the French Catholic tradition.
I’ve been in Quebec City for two celebrations of St-Jean Baptiste Day, in 1982 and again in 1987. They were quite the occasions.

Statue of St. John the Baptist, Cathedral of St. Paul MN June 23, 2013

How the altar at the Cathedral of St. Paul is described.

If you’re of the Christian persuasion, even in your past, you know a bit about St. John the Baptist. At Mass this morning at Basilica of St. Mary, Fr. Greg Miller, from St. John’s University in Collegeville noted that St. John the Baptist is patron of St. Johns Abbey, which is of German origin, so French-Canadians do not have sole claim to the Saint. (Full disclosure: I’m North Dakotan, half German (ancestry directly from Germany), half French-Canadian from Quebec, proud of both lineages!)
There is no statue of this most prominent Saint at Basilica of St. Mary*, but I knew there was one at the Cathedral of St. Paul* so went there and took the photo which is above. It is one of six side altars beside and behind the sanctuary of the Cathedral, dedicated as follows:
St. Anthony – Italians
St. John the Baptist – French and Canadian
St. Patrick – Irish
St. Boniface – German
Sts. Cyril and Methodius – Slavic
St. Therese, the Little Flower – Missionaries.
These reflect large ethnic (and often heavily Catholic) groups which migrated to and settled in the Diocese of St. Paul, prior to the time the Cathedral was constructed (early 1900s).
Enroute out of the Cathedral, I picked up the Sunday bulletin and noted on page seven this article about Saint John the Baptist and the French and French-Canadians:
St John the Baptist001
All the clerics mentioned in the article, Bishops Loras and Cretin and Priests Ravoux and Galtier were French. I noticed the phrase “even the flawed Galtier”, and as is my curious self, I wanted to know a little more. Probably the answer is in this article about Galtier in Wikipedia. (See the paragraph beginning “In 1840”)
Through their past, and in the present, the French and French-Canadians are intertwined, through ancestry, Church, and in other ways.
Huge numbers of Minnesotans are at least partially French in ancestry, most of these are French-Canadians whose ancestors came to what is now Quebec between about 1630 and 1760. In the 1980 census, the last to ask questions about ethnicity, 8% of Minnesotans stated they had French descent (France or Canada).
Relationships are complex. In a sense, the French and French-Canadians, both of the same culture and heritage, are quite similar to the native Germans and what we call German-Russians in North Dakota. In both instances, the ancestral lines were long separated for different reasons, but most aspects of the culture and heritage carried down to even the present day.
This is not a simple topic.
If you can, come over to northeast Minneapolis this afternoon for continuation of a many centuries long tradition.
*NOTE: Both the Cathedral and the Basilica of St. Mary were creations of the French architect Emanuel Masqueray. The legendary Archbishop John Ireland, Irish, who grew up in infant St. Paul, was a product of the preparatory seminary at Meximieux, France, and a lifelong “fan” of France, engaged Masqueray to build the twin cities edifices, and a number of other Churches in the Archdiocese. Not long ago we viewed his gravestone in St. Paul’s Calvary Cemetery.

Comment
June 24 from J.P., French-Canadian who grew up and now lives in Manitoba: The following are just my personal thoughts and what I can remember of St. Jean Baptiste day in my life time.
Growing up in Southern Manitoba, St. Jean Baptiste was just another day (we were told at school that he was the French Canadian Patron Saint). It was no big deal for us in Manitoba but again we were told that it was in Quebec.
Having lived in Quebec from 1970 thru 1982, in my humble estimation all that day represented was the day the separatist folks took to the streets & parks and really promoted their intentions of over throwing the federalist government and have their own country, while the rest of us federalists bit the bullet and tried to enjoy the day off the best we could. (Not a very great memory)
Now that we are back in Manitoba I have found that there are a few small French Canadian hamlets in the Province that will celebrate that day as it was meant originally 100 years ago, strictly as a French CANADIAN Patron Saint. They may have a small parade followed by some kind of picnic , but not a real big deal.
Remember, that this is strictly my opinion in answer to you query.
UPDATE, after the gathering:
We were a small group of about two dozen. That was expected.
A good time was had by all in attendance.
This was a usual “pot luck” – too much excellent food, excellent variety, people brought whatever they wished (God must have a special “pot luck” division to handle affairs where people bring something to share!)
Noel Labine told a great story about St. Paulite and budding railroad magnate James J. Hill‘s involvement in the Metis revolution in Manitoba parts. Of course, JJHill was a Canadian by birth and upbringing, and would have sympathies for and loyalties to the country of his birth. Noel referenced Albro Martin’s biography of Hill as an excellent resource.
Catholic Priest Father Jules Omalanga, native of Kinshasha Congo, whose first language is French, and who’s a founding member of the Board of the French-American Heritage Foundation, gave a great talk about cultural aspects of a Francophone African (or other nationality or language) coming to and assimilating into the United States. Each week at northeast Minneapolis’ St. Boniface Catholic Church, the noon Mass on Sunday is in French for a primarily francophone Africans living in America. I have been to the Mass, and while not a francophone, it is always very spiritual and uplifting.
We learned a great deal in the two presentations.
This resurrection of St. J-B Day was initiated by Initiatives in French Midwest, and collaborating groups were the now 31 year old AFRAN (Association des Francais du Nord) at Red Lake Falls MN (no website), and the newly Twin Cities based French-American Heritage Foundation whose temporary web location can be found here.
Here are a few photos from June 24 (click on photo to enlarge):

Dr. Virgil Benoit of IF Midwest and AFRAN, and Mark Labine, President of French-American Heritage Foundation, chat with Michael Rainville, Minneapolis, at the Fete.

Noel Labine tells a story about James J. Hill and the Metis uprising

Father Jules Omalanga tells of the African francophone experience in America.

“Pot-Luck”. There was far more than enough!

#736 – Dick Bernard: The Traffic Lights

June 22, 2013/1 Comment/in Community, Media, Minnesota, North Dakota, Quietings /by dickbernard

As everyone in the Twin Cities knows, the last two nights have been interesting, to say the least. Powerful, fast-moving thunderstorms raced through our neighborhoods with high, straight-line winds and brief but torrential rains. The Star Tribune headline says 250,000 are without power this morning.
I was at Gandhi Mahal restaurant in south Minneapolis about 8 p.m. last night and the proprietor, Ruhel, said what was happening outside reminded him of days in his native Bangladesh, when the high winds and heavy rain would make for perfect mango-picking weather: the wind would dislodge the ripe ones from the tree.
Our conversation had been interrupted when he raced out to help bring in the sidewalk cafe furniture. He returned, soaked.
Enroute home I had to change route once – a flooded intersection. It was an interesting trip.
But I think this morning about traffic lights in our town, both Friday and Saturday early morning.
I am a creature of habit, leaving early for morning coffee on heavily traveled city streets.
Yesterday, the traffic lights were out at two places along my route; in early afternoon at another; this morning at yet another place (photo below, click to enlarge).

Out of commission traffic lights at Radio Drive and City Centre in Woodbury MN 8 a.m. June 22, 2013

In none of the instances were there any means of traffic control: no temporary stop signs, not even volunteer traffic cops. We were all on our own.
I marvel at the order that instinctively prevailed at even the busy intersections: People stopped, took turns, no horns blared.
We were all strangers acting completely civilized towards each other.
We were, I thought, acting like people in our society typically do (which is very much unlike the “it bleeds, it leads” enemies-not-friends mentality of what passes for news these days.
We are, in the imperfect way of humans, a good team when competition is well tempered by good old Kindergarten-wisdom – be nice.
Just a few days ago, I read an article which seems pertinent for this space, this day, about becoming and being a team.
It was in the Summer 2013 Alumni Review of the University of North Dakota, and was Chapter One of a new book, , “Eleven Rings, The Soul of Success“ by UND graduate (1967) and legendary NBA Basketball Coach Superstar Phil Jackson who holds 11 NBA Championship Rings.
You can read Chapter One here, if you wish: Phil Jackson on Success001
It has some good lessons about how successful teams (like our society at those traffic lights in Woodbury) can work, well.

#735 – Dick Bernard: to the Audience (Listeners) of the Minnesota Orchestra

June 21, 2013/0 Comments/in Community, Labor, Minnesota /by dickbernard

Ongoing Updates:
New blog post July 26, 2013: here
From a reader June 23: Do you think your readers are aware of [the website] Orchestrate Excellence?
From a June 21, comment (below): “The US has 5 “top-tier” orchestras, Minnesota, New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Chicago.”
Another excellent website: Song of the Lark
Two commentaries noted in an e-mail received July 10, 2013: Alan Fletcher, Pres and CEO of Aspen Music Festival and School, June 24, 2013m and Euan Kerr, Minnesota Public Radio, July 3, 2013.
UPDATE July 2, 2013: Minneapolis Star Tribune page B2 – Orchestra to return nearly $1 M in state grant money
There are several comments to this blog post at the end of the post, the most recent June 26.
UPDATE July 10, 2013:
Monday afternoon, July 8, I was on I-94, returning home after several days of visiting in my home state of North Dakota.
I needed some sounds to break the silence of the solitary drive, and near Sauk Centre I checked the small cache of CDs I keep for such occasions. Up popped Reveries, a CD recorded by the Minnesota Orchestra at Orchestra Hall under Maestro Eiji Oue, May 1 and 2, 2002. So, as I drove through Lake Wobegon country, I listened to the gentle, magnificent music of the Minnesota Orchestra…
(continued after the last comment, below)
*
Minnesota Orchestra Musicians Video.
Minnesota Orchestra Musicians Negotiations FAQ/strong>
Minnesota Orchestra Board of Directors here. Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis MN 55403. Directors listed at the end of this post.
The below post has been selected for inclusion in MinnPosts June 21 MN Blog Cabin Roundup
*
Today is the Summer Solstice, the longest day for the 364 days prior and the 364 days to follow. For those of us who love the Minnesota Orchestra it’s been a very long year, and all that is ahead is uncertainty.
I’m one of those who each year have filled the seats at Orchestra Hall. We’ve all been dis-enfranchised by the near one year Lock Out of the Musicians and the Audience by the Minnesota Orchestra Management.
When this Lock Out ends, as it will be, some day, even if soon, it will take years, if ever, for the Orchestra to recover. How do you rebuild a proud ensemble of gifted artists you’ve just destroyed? I won’t accept, “all good. Sure the Union is history, but let’s be friends again….”, or the like. There has been, likely, irreparable harm, and not just within the Orchestra itself.
What’s one to do? In my view, we audience members don’t reward the bad behavior of the Orchestra Board and it’s management by quietly accepting what is happening.
I invite you to join me, as individuals who enjoyed the Minnesota Orchestra, to act.
Here’s what I’m going to do: Until the Minnesota Orchestra Musicians, through their Union, encourage me to return to Orchestra Hall or to Orchestra programs, I will not pay for nor attend any event at Minnesota Orchestra Hall, nor any other event scheduled by the current management or Board of the Orchestral Association.
I speak solely as an individual…a single “grain of sand”.
As a group of individuals, we can make a big difference.

The packet of tickets for the Lost Season of 2012-13, Minnesota Orchestra.

About those of us who have looked forward to performances of the Minnesota Orchestra:
We represent a small chunk of Minnesotans. Most people don’t identify with the Orchestra as a community asset, so this tragedy is an easy issue for the public to ignore. We as audience must act. The issue is in our court.
The Orchestra and its audience are inseparable. Apparently an average of 1600 of us have filled the seats. Together we are immensely powerful. The Orchestra has been an important part of this communities quality of life for more than a century and it has been recognized for its quality world wide. We are part of this Orchestra’s success, and potentially party to its failure if we don’t take a stand.
We weren’t part of the problem; nonetheless we have to be part of the solution.
We are well advised to be very skeptical of “true” “facts” as conveyed through the traditional means: mailings from the Orchestra management; the downtown Minneapolis structure, including the Star Tribune, etc.
About me:
1. Best as I can recall, I first attended a Minnesota Orchestra Concert at Orchestra Hall in the Fall of 1978.
2. We have been six-concert subscribers for many years, generally fourth row center.
3. Each year we would attend a number of other events at the hall, including Sommerfest, special concerts, and the like. We know 1111 Nicollet Mall and vicinity….
4. I have paid attention to this Management manufactured loss of season since it began: here.
5. I have no formal or informal standing in this controversy, other than as a subscriber. On the other hand, I spent an entire career in labor-management matters, and I know how the process works.
Previous posts: Here (two posts), here and here.
Responses:
1. John G, June 21: My first experiences with this orchestra were in autumn of 1964 when I moved to MN as a temporary faculty member at Macalester, pinch-hitting one academic year for someone on sabbatical. Back then Robert Shaw came up to prepare the chorus for Britten’s War Requiem, and Stan was already in charge. During 1964-83 I was a Minnesotan DFL-er (transplanted gratefully from having been for 12 years a Republican). Then came similar lockouts at Moorhead State, although named “retrenchments.” So I was off again, this time away from teaching into the publishing world at Presbyterian Publishing House in Atlanta (and later Louisville). That story is too long.
My main point is this: of course, undoubtedly I have had it with this mismanagement – so I do not expect to return to Orchestra Hall until and only if they grow up and treat the musicians with the respect they deserve for their accomplishments, and with the honor due to fellow human beings. This firm intent was formed independently of your blog, so this determination will stick along with yours.
2. Vicci J, June 21 (writer is a retired Twin Cities public school band director): Please, do NOT boycott performances at Orchestra Hall. MN Orchestra management is not “the bad guy.” This problem is a legacy of the Legislated cuts to K-12 education. Music education is always the first to be cut. K-12 music programs develop the audience base specifically for organizations such as the MN Orch.
Since the public schools have not maintained on-going music programs which develop the audience base to support the Orchestra…no management agency, no marketing firm, has the talent to repair the damage. When the food chain is eliminated, the system dies.
What the Orch needs is a campaign for citizens to call their political representatives to restore money to K-12 education. You would be ideal to initiate this objective..your heart and head are in the right place.
For supporting evidence…
You will find and understand the politics of education cuts by reading “The Manufactured Crisis” by Biddle and Berliner, 1995. Written by two college profs, it goes through the political framework that started the demise of public schools. To synthesize a little, around 1970 a very wealthy man willed his fortune to the Heritage and Coors Foundations for the singular purpose of downsizing public education. The Heritage and Coors foundations created a marketing campaign to discredit public schools. It worked. It also destroyed arts tourism in many large cities.
Consider one core reason: The guys and gals who returned home after WWII were given the GI bill to attend college. Millions that would have gone to blue collar jobs, now filled white collar jobs. These citizens are the largest group of “formally-educated-citizens” of the same or close age, that have ever existed in the history of the world. From this group, came the Baby-Boomers..an even larger group of educated citizens that questions government…all the time. Recall Vietnam protesting? The US Constitution and the Bill of Rights are the laws of our land, but to maintain them requires a great deal of citizen participation. The core or our Constitution can only be maintained if citizens are well-educated and maintain a vigilance to current events. To develop such a citizenry, appropriate funding to our public schools is mandatory, which in turn, maintains great orchestra’s such as in MN.
The Biddle and Berliner book is still available at Barnes and Noble and through Amazon.
PS: the US has 5 “top-tier” orchestras, Minnesota, New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Chicago. “Top-tier” means top pay.
3. from Minnesota Orchestra volunteer who prefers to remain anonymous, who has information on excellent authority, June 26:
Thank you for your efforts.
I have forwarded your letter to a network of supporters. This network will take your words and thoughts farther than I could.
A friend is a locked out usher at Orchestra Hall. With this status the friend has received “advice” that there will be monitoring of publications, blogs, letters etc. So most of are rather careful with being identified with endorsements.
As for me, the Burt Hara departure is a barometer of the status of the Orchestra. Rather than negotiate to NOT accept a $30,000 reduction in salary, Burt received a $30,000 increase. A similar situation presented itself for Gina DiBello. This is bad news for the expectation of future quality performances resulting from a homogeneous vision and artistic spirit in the MOA environment.
PS: Los Angeles pays significantly more than MN. I found the base pay on line.
4. from Jane P, June 28, 2013:
To the Board of Directors of the MN Orchestra:
I have lived in Minnesota and been proud member of the arts community for over 30 years. In that time I have witnessed a change in the large non-profit arts groups toward taking the focus away from the local performers and putting it on new buildings as well as out-of-town celebrities. MN Orchestra has joined this dubious parade. This seems to follow a national trend of devaluing labor in many fields, but the arts are different from other businesses.
I understand that you wish to encourage new audiences who may need the attraction of celebrities or of luxurious buildings to come in your doors. However, you are currently greatly endangering the availability and quality of your musicians. High-quality artistry does not come easily, not does it come cheaply . As a performer myself, I know intimately what it takes to train and maintain an artist. It requires latent talent, a huge investment in time, treasure, and labor during training, as well as a huge investment of time to maintain those skills. Artists cannot do this without the promise of very good salaries. The training of a professional musician is equivalent to the education of a doctor in terms of investment. Would you offer your paltry salaries to doctors?
Without the promise of a good living, the artists will be forced to take other jobs, or may become amateur musicians instead. With a poor quality orchestra, the Twin Cities as an arts magnet for future growth will be gone. If you damage the quality of your orchestra, you will repel your audience, as audiences can judge quality. Your expensive new hall will become another Ordway, if not a white elephant. Have any of your board members extensive personal experience with the training of a musician like they do with managing businesses?
Please reconsider your recalcitrance and your responsibility to the Twin Cities arts supporters.
Thank you for your time.
5. From Will S. July 25, 2013:
Is it beyond the bounds of a reporter to seek enlightened opinion on how our community can put in place a long-term funding mechanism to ensure that what remains of SPCO remains here and to save the Minnesota Orchestra, George Mitchell’s involvement notwithstanding?
To my simple mind, the answer is: Governor-led and Legislature-led efforts to create permanent public-private partnerships.
If our elected public officials and we citizens-voters-taxpayers value these orchestras as much as this governor and the previous one and the legislatures of those eras do and did professional sports, then they will take a leadership now, however late it may be in the game, and at least consider such partnerships if you run this idea past them.
There must be others such as arts funding specialists to talk to.
It’s essential to keep us informed about short-term developments with each orchestra but I believe it’s the responsibility of the media to explore various possible long-term solutions and bring them to the attention of the taxpayers so they can decide if they want their tax dollars spent in that manner (which, of course, was not done with the Twins and Vikings stadiums and now the Saints’ stadium.)
The head of the Strib’s editorial board Lori Sturdevant, always touting our vaunted quality of life, is fond of calling publicly-funded sports stadiums “social amenities.”
I wonder what term she reserves for our orchestras.
Surely she must understand how much they contribute in so many ways to making Minnesota what it is today, with or without professional and big-time college sports.
(The Minnesota Orchestra in Lake Wobegon, continued)
… The last four miles were bumper to bumper stop and go road construction miles. The 69 minute concert ended at Milepost 171, one of the St. Cloud exits. Ahead of me was a late model Honda with another Minnesota icon on its license plate: a Loon. Years earlier, I remembered an outdoor concert by the Orchestra in St. Cloud. It was a pleasant summer day. I listened to the CD again, and again. It is marvelous.
The Minnesota Orchestra I listened to is being strangled, nearly one year into the Lock Out by Orchestra Management.
Eiji Oue was then in his last year as Conductor. He was an unlikely appointment at the time he came to Minnesota, but I liked him.
One of the most memorable concerts I ever attended at Orchestra Hall had him at the Podium. It was Saturday, September 29, 2001. I wrote my family the following day as follows:
“Last night, my wife Cathy and I were at our first Minnesota Symphony Orchestra concert of the season at Minneapolis Orchestra Hall. The magnificent hall was packed to the rafters, awaiting a program of Beethoven’s 6th, and Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring”. This night, a huge American flag provided the backdrop. Maestro Eiji Oue, in his last year as conductor and music director, ascended the podium, and without announcement or fanfare, led the full orchestra in the “Star Spangled Banner”. It was the most rousing, and peace-filled, rendition I have ever heard. It was as if Peace owned that flag, last night….”
Now that Hall is empty, and the Orchestra that built it is mute.
What’s ahead, nobody knows.
Out in North Dakota, I drove through an almost dead tiny town, and much to my surprise came across a wall mural which catches my feelings at this moment. That lonely sign on the side of a deserted building, facing away from any highway, says it all. Unfortunately, it seems left to we in the audience to save this Orchestra, or let it die.
Together we can.
I opt for life.
(click to enlarge photo)

Pingree ND July 6, 2013

MINNESOTA ORCHESTRA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
AS OF JUNE 23, 2013
* – Membership on Executive Committee

Officers
Jon Campbell*, Chair
Wells-Fargo Bank Ex VP, Dir of Govt and Comm Relations
Minneapolis
Richard K. Davis*, Immediate Past Chair
U.S. Bancorp Chair, President and CEO
Minneapolis
Michael Henson*, President and CEO
Minnesota Orchestral Association
Minneapolis
Nancy E. Lindahl*, Secretary
Deephaven MN
Patrick E. Bowe*, Treasurer
Cargill Corp V.P.
Wayzata MN
Life Directors
Nicky B. Carpenter*
Educational Consultant
Wayzata MN
Kathy Cunningham*
Mendota Heights, MN
Luella G. Goldberg*
Minneapolis MN
Douglas W. Leatherdale*
Chairman and CEO, Retired
The St. Paul Companies
Minneapolis MN
Ronald E. Lund*
Eden Prairie MN
Betty Myers
St. Paul, MN
Marilyn Carlson Nelson
Chairman, Carlson Holdings
Minneapolis MN
Dale R. Olseth
Chairman Emeritus, SurModics
Eden Prairie MN
Rosalynd Pflaum
Wayzata MN
Directors
Emily Backstrom
Finance Director, General Mills
Minneapolis, MN
Karen Baker*
Orono MN
Rochelle Blease
SVP, Strategy and Business Development
Wolters, Kluwer Financial Services
Minneapolis MN
David L. Boehnen
Dorsey & Whitney
Minneapolis MN
Margaret A. Bracken
Minneapolis MN
Jan M. Conlin
Partner and Chair of Business
Trial and Litigation Group
Robins, Kaplan, Miller and Ciresi
Minneapolis MN
Mark Copman
Vice President, Corporate Development, 3M
St Paul MN
Ken Cutler
Managing Partner,Dorsey and Whitney LLP
Minneapolis MN
Jack W Eugster*
Excelsior MN
John F. Farrell, Jr
Chairman and CEO, Haskell’s Inc
Minneapolis MN
D. Cameron Findlay
SVP, General Counsel and Secretary
Medtronic
Minneapolis MN
Ben Fowke*
Chairman, President and CEO
Xcel Energy
Mineapolis MN
Paul D. Grangaard
President and CEO
Allen Edmonds Shoe Corp
Port Washington, WI
Jane P. Gregerson*
Minneapolis MN
Susan Hagstrum
Minneapolis MN
Jayne C. Hilde*
Vice President, Satellite Shelters
Plymouth MN
Karen L Himle*
Director, HMN Financial
Minnetonka MN
William A Hodder
Edina MN
Shadra . Hogan
Minnetonka MN
Mary L. Holmes
Wayzata MN
Phillip Isaacson
Chairman, Nonin Medical
Plymouth MN
Nancy L Jamieson
Friends of the MN Orchestra Pres-Elect
Bloomington MN
Lloyd G. Kepple
Partner, Oppenheimer, Wolff & Donnelly
Minneapolis MN
Michael Klingensmith
Publisher and CEO, Star Tribune
Minneapolis MN
James A Lawrence
Chariman Rothschile North America
New York, New York
Mary Ash Lazarus
CEO, Vestiges Inc
Minneapolis MN
Allen U. Lenzmeier*
Vice Chairman, Retired, Best Buy
Minneapolis MN
Warren E. Mack
Parner, Fredrikson & Byron PA
Minneapolis MN
Harvey Mackay
Chairman, Mackay Envelope Company
Minneapolis MN
James C. Melville*
Kaplan, Strangis and Kaplan
Minneapolis MN
Eric Mercer, Partner
PriceWaterhouseCoopers
Minneapolis MN
Hugh Miller
President and CEO, RTP Co
Winona MN
Timothy O’Brien
General Counsel,
Pine River Capital Managemnt LP
Minnetonka MN
Liz O’Neal
Chair, Crescendo Project Board
Minneapolis MN
Anita M. Pampusch
President, Retired,
Bush Foundation
St. Paul MN
Eric H. Paulson
Excelsion MN
Chris Policinski*
President and CEO
Land O’Lakes
St. Paul MN
Teri E. Popp*
Attorney
Paula J Prahl
Long Lake MN
Gregory J. Pulles*
Dorsey & Whitney
Minneapolis MN
Judy Ranheim
President, Young People’s Symphony Concert Association
Minneapolis MN
Michael M. Roos
Partner, KPMG
Minneapolis MN
Jon W. Salveson
Vice Chairman, Investment Banking, Chairman, Healthcare Investment Banking Group,
Piper Jaffray and Co
Minneapolis
Jo Ellen Saylor*
Edina MN
Sally Smith
CEO and President, Buffalo Wild Wings
Minneapolis MN
Robert Spong
New Brighton MN
Gordon M Sprenger*
CEO, Retred, Alina Hospitals and Clinics
Chanhassen MN
Sara Sternberger*
WAMSO President
Eagan MN
Mary S. Sumners
Managing Director, RBC Wealth Management
Minneapolis MN
Georgia Thompson*
Minnetonka MN
Maxine Houghton Wallin
Edina MN
Tim Welsh
Director, McKinsey & Co
Minneapolis MN
Wendy Wenger Dankey
Executive Director,Wenger Foundation
Wayzata MN
John Whaley
Managing Administrative Partner
Norwest Equity Partners
Minneapolis MN
David S. Wichmann
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Office
UnitedHealth Group and
President, UnitedHealth Group
Operations and Technology
Minnetonka MN
John Wilgers*
Minneapolis Office Managing Partner
Ernst & Young
Minneapolis MN
Paul R. Zeller
SVP and Chief Financial Officer
Imation
Oakdale MN
Directors Emeriti
Margaret D Ankeny
Wayzata MN
Mari Carlson
Director of Development
Mt Olivet Lutheran Church
Minneapolis MN
Andrew Szaijkowki
President & CEO, Retired
Blue Cross & Blue Shield
St. Paul MN
Dolly J Fiterman
Minneapolis MN
Beverly Grossman
Minneapolis MN
Karen H. Hubbard
Lakeland MN
Hella Mears Hueg
St Paul MN
Joan A. Mondale
Minneapolis MN
Susan Platou
Wayzata MN

Honorary Directors
Chris Coleman, Mayor, St. Paul
Barbara Johnson, Chair, Minneapolis City Council
Eric Kaler, President, University of Minnesota
R. T. Rybak, Mayor, City of Minneapolis

Downtown Minneapolis from Orchestra Hall May 31, 2013

#734 – Dick Bernard: The Kid Returns from DC

June 18, 2013/0 Comments/in Community, Education, History, Minnesota /by dickbernard

Yesterday I asked Cathy, “when’s the kid back?”
She suggested, quite reasonably, that I might look at the schedule on the refrigerator door. So I did. “JUNE 18 (TUESDAY) ARRIVE BACK HOME…(by about 10:00 – 11:00 AM)” They were back, just after 11, as promised.
“The Kid”, as I like to call him, is Ryan, freshly minted 8th grade graduate, one of our nine grandkids, 14 in a couple of weeks.
June 12-18 he and three busloads of kids did the Washington DC routine. Their schedule can be viewed here: Ryan’s DC Trip June 2013001

Boarding, June 12, 2013

Best as I can see, I’ve been to all of the attractions Ryan and his crew saw, some of them several times, though not for several years.
Washington D.C., as revoltingly messy as it is, politically, is a fascinating and even inspirational place to visit. It works. (It would be nice to see Congress do the same, though I won’t hold my breath.)
And the organized groups which visit D.C. – a constant there – are part of the inspiration.
We haven’t ‘debriefed’ Ryan as yet, but I am sure he’ll have memories that last the rest of his life, as will his colleague cousins, Spencer and Ted, who were in the same DC a few short months ago.
I marvel at the organization of these tours. They are, of course, a formula event. Like a well-oiled machine, each bus arrives at its destination, disgorges its cargo of kids, who generally are orderly citizens going through the museums or whatever it is that is on their schedule for the moment.
(Following them east on the early part of their trip was a threatened superstorm with Washington DC in the bullseye. I asked Ryan only if they’d been affected, and apparently not. They were indoors, as scheduled, at the Arlington Cemetery during the time of the heavy rain in DC.)
The leader who was strawboss for this tour was a retired school administrator who said this was his 51st trip with kids to Washington.
He looked and sounded a bit like a retired Marine Drill Sergeant, no nonsense. A perfect fit for the group!
I taught 8th graders for nine years back in the 1960s, and once in awhile took them on field trips, so I know the nature of the beast – they don’t change that much over the generations. Likely there were one or two attempts at cute stunts, but likely nothing surprised the directors.
Teachers know the drill with kids. It is a key survival skill. It is the rare civilian that could manage large numbers of youngsters as teachers routinely do.
The only calls home from our guy were brief and good ones, one to his Dad on Father’s Day where he was obviously around his friends and apparently mumbled a clear (to his Dad) but imperceptible (to his friends) “I love you”.
It was good for a chuckle.
Next year it’s high school – in his town, high school is grades 9-12 – and back to the bottom of the heap his class goes, and a new time of adjustment as the teen years rage on.
All one can do is hope that the trip through high school is without serious mishaps.
We think Ryan has made a decent trip so far, with a minimum of mishaps, and one can hope that the choice of friends, activities and the like lead to growth and a minimum of scrapes of the assortment that all parents are aware of with their kids (and probably experienced themselves when they were at THAT age.)

#733 – Dick Bernard: Thoughts about Dad's…and Mom's…and Men…and Women…on Father's…and Mother's Days

June 16, 2013/0 Comments/in Community, Family History, History, Minnesota, Quietings /by dickbernard

Friday, at the gym, the woman scanning my card said “have a good Father’s Day weekend”. I’m not sure if her screen said I was a Dad, or if I just looked like I must have been one, sometime. I’m pretty sure she said the same thing to all adult males with wedding bands, or who just looked like Dads…
A couple of days earlier, 8th grade grade Grandson Ryan asked Grandma to hold off on Father’s Day until he returns from the bus trip he’s on to Washington DC. They’ll be back, tired, on Tuesday night. “Father’s Day” on spouse Cathy’s “side” will come sometime after Tuesday at our house. Shortly, my daughters will treat me to breakfast. It will be a busy day for us all. Daughter Joni said getting up as early as she’ll need to today is part of her Father’s Day gift to me.
So true.
Today, Sunday, June 16, called Father’s Day in the U.S., the Ryan and his cohort are visiting George and Martha Washington’s Mt. Vernon. Ah, George and Martha. George was a step-dad, and he and Martha didn’t have children together. Alternative kinds of families are as old as human history.
A month ago was Mother’s Day, and I had a post all prepared to send on the day. It is at the end of this post, unedited. I didn’t click send on it, then, because we were hosting several Moms and families, all relatives, and the day showed prospects of being more than a little complicated. (I’ll leave the reader to define “complicated”.)
(It was a complicated day, but all turned out fine.)
So it goes with these special days. We are not in the olden days, as if the olden days were idyllic, where there was, we like to remember, one biological Mom (“the Homemaker”) and one biological Dad (“the Breadwinner”), and all was happy, and “complicated” events and life circumstances were not much talked about, and left out of later family stories and histories, as if they didn’t exist.

Parents Henry and Esther; kids (from left) Frank,Florence, John, Mary Ann and Richard, early June, 1948, Sykeston ND

A tired Henry Bernard,visible at left, takes a break while rehabbing the North House in 1947. Photo is of the east exposure of the house.

So, what is a Dad, this Father’s Day, to me?
Somehow or other a dream on June 11, brought the confusion into some focus for me. I seldom remember dreams, and I’ve never done any analysis of them, but this particular one woke me up 4:30 or 5 a.m. and without embellishment, this is what I remember (I wrote a few words of notes to myself immediately when I woke).
For some reason, I was asked to say something to some kind of group, possibly a bunch of teachers I used to represent, and I started by talking about a Dad as a metaphorical “Rock” (you can define the symbolism of that for yourself).
It didn’t seem quite adequate, so I mentioned a Dad as an “Anchor”; and even that didn’t quite fit, so I added the descriptor of a “Balloon”.
And I woke up.
Later that day Grandson Ryan – not my biological grandson – played a baseball game that we watched; early the next day, we watched as he and his cohort got on the buses to go to Washington DC.
It occurred to me, looking back at my note pad, that maybe all three of those words, Rock, Anchor, Balloon, applied to my relationship with Ryan, and to others, and to relationships generally between people. Mostly, our relationships are (thankfully) not all intense 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They are all different.
Maybe these words apply to all of we adult males who in one way or another are role models, support systems, and on and on for people who just happen to be in our space and for one reason or another are impacted by us, with the impact noticed, maybe years later. And the impact might not be necessarily positive at the time, but useful, nonetheless.)
So, wherever you happen to be in your life, men, Happy Father’s Day. And a belated Happy Mother’s Day to all of you women, whether or not you have biological children. In a sense we are all Dads, and Moms, to many….
Enjoy. Following is what I wrote back in May, but never published, on Mom’s.

Cathy’s Mothers Day Plant on Fathers Day (how it looked on Mothers Day is at the end of this post.) This plant began life as a work project at the Ramsey County Correctional Facility (Workhouse), grown by inmates….

(UNPUBLISHED) THOUGHTS FOR MOTHER’S DAY, MAY 12, 2013
Mother’s Day has a complicated history if one considers the comprehensive definition of “mother”.
As we celebrate Mother’s Day in the United States, it has only been a greeting card and flowers kind of event for at most about 100 years.
Today at our home, several mothers from Cathy’s family will e here – two daughters-in-law and a niece and, of course the “Queen Mother” herself (an inside joke with its own story!). Cathy invited the group over, and will be busy today, and I’ll do “as assigned”.
One of my daughters will be score keeping at a baseball game for her 11 year old’s baseball team at a tournament near here; my other daughter-who’s-a-Mom will likely be at some other event just across the river, likely with her husband, kids and in-laws. I’m not sure what my son and daughter-in-law in Denver area will be doing, but it will probably involve their daughter and her husband who live nearby.
Mother’s Day is a diverse day for us, and I would guess, for most Americans.
Both of our own Mom’s have long ago passed on: Cathy’s mother when Cathy was only 16; my mother when I was 41.
None of our constellation will be somewhere fishing, for now a many year complication of traditional Mother’s Day in Minnesota: fishing opener and Mother’s Day compete with each other.
Some families (and Mom’s) will be lucky and have the perfect day; others will not be so lucky. Such events have their own potentials for peril!
In my files is a collection of about 160 postcards (greeting cards) received by my Grandma and Grandpa in the first years after they moved to their new farm in North Dakota in 1905. These were all pre-formal Mother’s Day and speak for themselves.
Usually they were sister-to-sister affection and support, from time-to-time: on the occasion of a birth, for instance.
Two of those cards has always been interesting to me. They explain themselves:
(click to enlarge)

BUSCH Postcards early 1900s - 99 - Undated104

BUSCH Postcards early 1900s - 92 - Sep 1 1910097

Being Mom is not always that idyllic!
Neither is being Mom a stereotype:
I was a single “Mom” of a child on two occasions for a total of 8 1/2 less than perfect years. I made do.
Legions of family constellations have substitute or fill-in Moms, great numbers of whom are Men.
I’ve had the great good fortune of knowing many women…and men…who did much parenting for many years. Many of them did not have biological children of their own. They went by the name “public school teacher”; some of them were Nuns I had as an elementary student, or got to know as I got older.
Being biological mother is restricted, of course, to the roughly half of humanity who happen to be female, but mothers die, often young, especially in the not always “good old days”, and others took over. And Dads die too, to be replaced by someone male or female who’s a surrogate.
We know at least one Mom whose two children have been born through surrogate mothers.
It doesn’t take much of a formal inventory of one’s own family constellation to find out how complicated “motherhood” all is.
For us, I think Mother’s Day will be a good day.
Out on the front step is a new plant which we hopefully will keep alive to glorious ongoing blooms for weeks, perhaps even most of the summer.
Happy Mother’s Day to everyone, and not just the biological mom’s out there!

I remember especially this Mother’s Day, my first wife, who I married 50 years ago, June 8, 1963. Barbara was the mother of our first child, Tom, who’s now 49. She died of kidney disease July 24, 1965, barely having started a Mom’s life. (UPDATE: I wrote a story about the 50th anniversary of our marriage recently. It is here.)

#732 – Dick Bernard: A Gentle Lady says Farewell.

June 15, 2013/0 Comments/in Community, Minnesota, Nature, Peace & Justice, Quietings /by dickbernard

Today was “A Service of Thanksgiving for the Life of Leslie Reinhardt Reindl, August 1, 1936 – May 14, 2013.”
Of the photos of Leslie’s life on the display board, this one was my favorite.
(click to enlarge)

Leslie Reindl, from a photo on a display of photos of her life, June 15, 2013

We were told that Leslie prepared the service, and if so, she did a beautiful job. There were solos: the American folk hymn “The Lone Wild Bird“; and the classic “The Rose“, both very effectively presented by soloists, as were the poems “Living in the Light” by Jeanne Leicester and Barbara McAfee; and Sleeping in the Forest by Mary Oliver.
At the end of the service, the Veterans for Peace rang the Peace Bell eleven times, a long-time tradition, dating back to the end of World War I in 1918.
Leslie chose to leave this earth quietly, and simply in a “green burial”, to again be part of the earth, and to thus participate in the endless cycle of renewal. Mention was made of the Threshold Network.
I didn’t know Leslie well, apparently few did, but she left behind a beautiful legacy of caring for others, with a particular passion for the environment and for peace.
The program for the Service included the following testament:
“Leslie’s basic motive for the many roles she played in her life was compassion. Whether it was as a church Elder or as an advocate for peace and the care of all creation, compassion for people, creatures, and the earth drove Leslie.
She had a vision that connecting with Nature, and especially the experience of caring for creation, could help people internalize a compassion for ALL life, and thence build their own ways to help us all in eventually achieving a true, universal, Peaceable Kingdom [this two word phrase likely from her friend, and mine, Bob Milner, who was at the service].
Leslie left a legacy including land and funds, ideas and ideals. she and her family hope that we, her friends and fellow members of [the Macalester Plymouth United Church, 1658 Lincoln Avenue St Paul 55105] might use her legacy to aid in furthering the emergence of that Kingdom. Her family is exploring ideas widely, as they make plans to continue Leslie’s commitment and action.
For those who would like to be part of these efforts with a memorial to Leslie, memorial donations can be made payable to Macalester Plymouth United Church with “Leslie Reindl memorial in the memo line. Funds will be used to further Leslie’s legacy.”
Earlier in the week, the Minnesota Alliance of Peacemakers (MAP) established a fund dedicated to Leslie, anticipating the request today. Leslie was President of MAP in 2003 and 2004.
As I wrote to her husband, Wilhelm, today, “Leslie was on the court, and not in the stands. She was willing to do what was necessary to stand for her ideals for peace, justice and sustainability in our world.”
She was among the legion of people who will preserve the future for others on this planet of ours.
With gratitude to her husband of 43 years, Wilhelm, their daughter, Joanna, and friends, Linda Bergh, Connie Lindberg, Wes Davey and Molly Redmond who made today’s event so meaningful for all of us.

Vets for Peace ring 11 bells for peace at the conclusion of the memorial service for Leslie Reindl

Leslie J. Reindl Reinhardt
August 1, 1936 – May 14,2013
Born in St. Paul MN, Graduate of
Macalester College,
Postgraduate at the University of
Minnesota,
Editor for McGraw Hill Publishing Co.
(Postgraduate Medicine
Sports Medicine),
Freelance Editor
of
Text- and Trade-books.
She was
a Lover of Plants, Animals and People,
ready
to give sanctuary to all of them,
especially to
“Lone Wild Birds”
and a tireless
Advocate of Compassion and Justice
for all Forms of Life.

#730 – Dick Bernard: Community Celebration of Place. As good as it gets.

June 7, 2013/0 Comments/in Community, Education, Minnesota /by dickbernard

Even preceding retirement 13 years ago, I wondered about how it would be out in “Elder-land”. I wrote about this recently.
Just last night, at a meeting where the age range was from (I’d guess) early 30s to mid 80s we talked about the huge dilemma these days of elder to younger communications. We communicate differently: too many new options, which many elders are not willing to adapt to. In a way, there is definitely a “canyon”. Elders and Youngers are in different worlds.
Unexpectedly, a few weeks ago, I had my eyes opened to something truly wonderful: a “bridge” between the worlds. My 92-year old friend, Lynn, asked me to accompany him to two events in Minneapolis. The first, at Sanford Middle School on May 22, was called Elder Wisdom Childrens Song “Featuring Eric Sparks’ 7th Grade Students”; the second, on May 30, was a planning session of the parent organization of the Sanford event, an organization called Community Celebration of Place directed by the organizations Executive Director and Smithsonian Folkways recording artist Larry Long. The planning session involved Elders and Youngers, visioning the coming year.
Both programs were uplifting and fascinating.
There is far too much to say to describe these programs, so I’ll just post a few brief comments, and a few photos, and you’re on your own to find out more.
Community Celebration of Place is an organization worth getting to know. The brochure available at the planning meeting, and the agenda for the morning planning session can be read here: Comm Celeb of Place001
There was a deliberate effort to integrate Elders and Youngers directly, and it was marvelous to observe.
Here’s a few photos from May 30 at the Youth and Elders Circle 2013 at the Northside YMCA in Minneapolis:
(click to enlarge)

Folk artist Larry Long leads the gathering in song inspired by students at several schools participating May 30.

Kids and Elders envision future improvements at their school and community. A major part of the table talk was strictly kids. Adults were to listen!

Facilitator Anthony Galloway led discussion with participants.

Kids generated ideas for various parts of their home environment, and posted by category: school, community, etc

Work over, everyone was treated to a complimentary meal from Gandhi Mahal Restaurant in south Minneapolis.
On the ground, eight days earlier, I had seen this program in action at Sanford Middle School.
On that day, in a one hour program, Sanford 7th Grade Students honored four community Elders, Radio and performing personality Shedrick Garrett, Supt. Bernadeia Johnson, Police Officer Manny Granroos, and Community Elder and Volunteer Mohamed Salah Abdi.
In each case, the Elder spent a significant amount of time being interviewed by a 7th grade class; the interview was then translated into a story, distributed to those attending the recognition; the story was translated into a song, accompanied by interpretive acting by students in the class. It was an incredible performance and very uplifting hour for everyone. Each elder was on the stage with the kids for the entire hour.
I took many photos at this event. Here’s a single photo with the students and those being honored May 22.

Participants in Elders Wisdom Children’s Song, Sanford Middle School, Minneapolis MN, May 22, 2013

Community Celebration of Place is well worth checking out. Its ideas deserve to be experienced in many ways, everywhere.

Dick Bernard: An Open Letter to Minnesota Orchestra fans who purchased tickets for 2012-2013, or have ever attended even a single performance of the Minnesota Orchestra at Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis MN

June 5, 2013/1 Comment/in Community, Labor, Media, Minnesota /by dickbernard

UPDATES will be included as received at the end of this post. One particularly interesting link about Orchestra finances has already been added. Take a look within Molly’s comment.
There are other responses at the Twin Cities Daily Planet. You can read them here.
Here is a very interesting blog site directly related to the issue.
MinnPost has hi-lited this post as one of its every Friday BlogCabin, posted yesterday here. Thanks, MinnPost.
Minnesota Orchestra Board of Directors here. Contact address here.
Minnesota Orchestra Musicians website here.
(click to enlarge)

Locked Out Musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra Concert Oct 18, 2012, with Maestro Skrowaczewski

Dear Friend: I ask that you consider forwarding this letter to anyone you might know who can connect the letter with someone who’s heard the Minnesota Orchestra at any time at Orchestra Hall.
I write as an individual, expressing my own opinion.
Succinctly, the entire 2012-13 season for the Minnesota Orchestra is cancelled due to a Lock-Out of the Orchestra. If settlement is reached today, or yesterday, or tomorrow, my personal opinion will remain as stated below.
I have been active in the Lock-Out issue all year, and this letter is simply a continuation of that action. Within the externally imposed limits (lack of access to “truth”, “facts” which can be trusted, etc.) I am very well informed.
Prior posts begin here. There is an additional post here.
Personal Comment:
For many years I have attended concerts at Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis MN. (The Wikipedia entry about Orchestra Hall, as it appeared on June 5, 2013, is included in text form at the end of this post.)
For perhaps the last dozen years we’ve been six-concert Subscribers, almost always attending some additional events at Orchestra Hall during the year. Our usual location was about Row 4, directly behind the Maestro.
February 8, 2012, we were among those who received an e-mail from the Minnesota Orchestra for a “one-of-a-kind concert season”: MN Orch Feb 8 2012002 We attended the special concert at the Convention Center. We re-subscribed, as always.
“One-of-a-kind concert season”? 2012-13 has certainly been one of those. There have been zero concerts.
Like the Orchestra itself, we Subscribers have been Locked Out.
There are some basic facts I think are important to know:
1. Best as I can gather, an average of 1,600 of us attend each and every concert at Orchestra Hall.
2. The Board of Directors of the Minnesota Orchestra – the perpetrators of the Lock-Out – number about 80 people who, unless you are lucky enough to know one personally, are essentially anonymous, unelected by and unaccountable to either ourselves or the Orchestra.
3. The Orchestra, the target of the Lock Out, currently numbers fewer than 75 members, and this number has decreased markedly in the last 12 months, and will continue to decrease.
4. I have yet to meet an Orchestra goer who comes to Orchestra Hall to hear the Orchestra Board; I don’t recall ever actually seeing in person an Orchestra Board member, though I may unknowingly have run into one in the old lobby of the Hall. They are names without faces to me.
To those of you who feel helpless in this situation, I understand. I feel helpless too.
But if each one of us in some directly affirmative way get into action, there is no way that the Board can continue its current posture, which is to stonewall, and blame the Orchestra Union for the stalemate which the Board, itself, created.
If we don’t act, we are complicit in the destruction of this World-Class Orchestra.
Additional thoughts follow.
You can respond to this post. I get first look, which includes your e-mail address (which does not appear in public). I pre-approve and will approve all responses that are not spam. My contact information is found on the About page of this blog.
Do something!
We are a small but essential constituency. We need to be heard, loudly, in diverse and very strong ways.
I am reminded of the famous Rev. Martin Niemoller quote, which he repeated in slightly differing ways in hundreds of speeches after Hitler was defeated and he was released from prison after WWII: “First they came…”
Destruction of a World Class Orchestra is not the Holocaust, but the general dynamic is the same.
Our silence is NOT golden.
*
Some closing random thoughts:
1. Almost certainly, there was a “Point Zero” in this catastrophe – a place and time when the Power Actors who began the road to this tragedy held their very first conversation, thence beginning the process of bringing their Board(s) along.
Someday, the details may come out about who, what, when, where…, but these will likely never be revealed by the perpetrators themselves. Somebody(ies) coordinated the idea of locking out five major U.S. orchestras, one of which was the Minnesota Orchestra, at about the same time for the same general reason.
All but the Minnesota Orchestra are back to work with, as best I can tell, negotiated agreements.
2. Orchestra Management holds all of the traditional tools of Power here: Money, Media, Mailing List (we have received at least 17 e-mails from the Orchestra Management this year, plus additional letters.) They don’t hold either the Music or the Audience.
3. The Musicians have not had this advantage.
4. As a long time subscriber, and one whose career was labor relationships, it is difficult to envision anything approaching a full recovery from this disaster. Permanent damage has been done.
A. We in the seats – the customers – have been ignored and dismissed.
B. Whether the shrinking body which is the Orchestra itself can recover its morale and esprit is very doubtful.
C. There is no good reason for Maestro Osmo Vanska to remain here, or for successor world class conductors to come to this community after he leaves.
These three, Orchestra, Conductor and Audience, create the synergy which makes the difference.
5. The pot of money called an endowment, and new lobby – are, from all appearances, the priorities of this Board, and make no difference in the long run. Hypothetical guesses about when the Orchestra would run out of money are self-serving guesses. It is interesting to note the Wikipedia article about Orchestra Hall. Its premise was to be non-elitist, welcoming to all….
For us, personally, the lowest point occurred a few months ago when the November 30 Rachmaninoff concert was cancelled.

Cancelled Concert Nov. 30, 2012. This was a special event including our 83 year old friend, and his friend.

This concert was not one of our subscriptions. We purchased four tickets for this one specifically to take our 82 year old neighbor and his friend to the concert. November 30 was to be a high point life experience for him.
Cancelled.
There is no way to recover from such a loss.
The Orchestra Board – all of them – should resign, giving an opportunity to recover.
Of course they won’t, and perhaps they can’t as there is no mechanism to start from scratch.
But they should leave, or at minimum publicly apologize, putting a face and a voice to their public apology.
They are a disgrace.
2012-13 will be the true “legacy” of the current Minnesota Orchestra Board and Management.
What a disgusting legacy it is.
Personally, for me, the Union of the Minnesota Orchestra will be the one who has to invite me to resume my subscription to this Orchestra.

October 18, 2012

Orchestra Hall (Minneapolis)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Entry as it appears June 5, 2013
Jump to: navigation, search
Lobby and box office seen from 11th Street
Seen from Peavey Plaza
Fountain, Peavey Plaza
Orchestra Hall, located at Nicollet Mall and 12th Street in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, is home to the Minnesota Orchestra. The Hall was built in 1974 (along with the adjacent Peavey Plaza) and opened for the 1974 concert season. It is a major landmark of the southern portion of the Nicollet Mall and home to many events throughout the year in addition to the Orchestra’s home base.
The auditorium seats 2,450, seating 1,500 on the main floor. The remaining 950 seats are placed in three tiers above the main floor, and along the side of the hall. The auditorium is actually a second building separated (for acoustical reasons) by a one inch gap from the “shell” which contains the lobby and offices. The stage is unusual due to the large cube motif in the rear wall, which continues along the ceiling of the hall all the way to the back of the hall. The cubes were added for acoustic reasons (with great success), but turned out to be visually striking as well.[1] The great acoustical design has been attempted to be duplicated in many other concert halls.
Built in 1975, Peavey Plaza was designed by landscape architect M. Paul Friedberg who also designed the Loring Greenway. The plaza which holds an amphitheater and water fountain is considered one of the endangered historic properties in Minnesota.[2][3]
Originally noted for its Modernist design, chosen to represent an orchestra for everyone, not what was then perceived to be the formal “elitist” designs of the past.[1] The exterior of the building is recognizable by its large, blue ventilation ducts. Their unusual size was chosen to reduce air velocity and hence noise. The lobby area’s original “power plant” design was meant to remove tones of class and privilege from the symphony-going experience; it was upgraded in the late 1997 and includes several bars.[1] Expansive windows overlook the street.
In April 2007, it was announced that the hall would be undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation.[4] This renovation had a heavy emphasis on the lobby and patron areas.
On April 9, 2010, plans were revealed for a $40 million renovation and expansion. The lobby and public areas will be doubled in size and the current utilitarian exterior will be replaced with stone and glass. A grand new entrance will also be added. KPMB of Toronto are the architects and MBJ of Minneapolis are the structural engineers. Construction began in June 2012 and will reopen in late summer of 2013.
See also
List of concert halls
References
^ a b c Millett, Larry (2007). AIA Guide to the Twin Cities: The Essential Source on the Architecture of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Minnesota Historical Society Press. p. 30. ISBN 0-87351-540-4.
^ Metzger, Michael (May 1, 2008). “Peavey Plaza makes list of endangered historic sites”. MinnPost.com (MinnPost). Retrieved 2008-05-01.
^ Bruch, Michelle (May 1, 2008). “Peavey Plaza on list of endangered historic places”. Downtown Journal (Minnesota Premier Publications). Retrieved 2008-05-01.
^ “What Sounds Great at Orchestra Hall? A $90m Facelift” St. Paul Pioneer Press, 30 April 2007.
External links
Orchestra Hall from the Minnesota Orchestra’s website

UPDATES as received:
from Molly R, June 5: Did you see this post yesterday? I thought it was excellent. Detailed but quite clear. [about the Finances of Minnesota Orchestra, from MinnPost Community Voices]
From Carol T, June 5: Did the subscribers have their money refunded? I have not been to a MN Orchestra concert in years (sorry to say), but this is a disaster nevertheless. And what is the Twin Cities’ motto these days anyway – love our stadiums, hate our musicians?? Response from Dick: Money was refunded if requested. If not, could be used for tickets next season. We opted for refund. We didn’t pay to have our season cancelled.
From John B, June 6:
The orchestra mess reminds me that historically, in Europe, musicians held the same social level as servants to the rich. If the MN Orch was proficiently artistic at a level of say, 95 and even 25% of the members left, management could probably hire replacements at lower salaries and maintain a level of artistic proficiency at 94. This is my opinion, but the available and qualified pool of highly capable professional musicians is very deep and wide. Supply and demand rules again.
To state the obvious: the MN Orch Board has the power, the musicians union does not. It is Walkerism on the cultural level. Truth be told, I bet the 80 Orch board members couldn’t discern the artistic differential between a proficiency level of 95 and 90. Also, truth be told, I think most rich arts supporters don’t know squat about the fine points in the arts. They have the money to donate big time and love the power and want to look good and get the payoff of being on the Board.
I am reading a good book titled The Org, about the why and ways of organizations in our society. Some great insight by Fisman and Sullivan.
From Anonymous, June 6, in Twin Cities Daily Planet: I admit I have been following this issue from a fairly distant perspective. I have attended a small but few concerts at the Hall. Yet I’m still unclear of the reasons the 80 member board to request members of the orchestra to take a 20 to 35% pay cut other than they do not have enough money to support the orchestra at its current level? Could be as simple as they actually do not have the money? Is it because they are inherently evil and are bent on destroying an orchestra? Or are they not inventive enough to attract additional revenue to support existing budgets? Someone help me out … if there is enough money why is the board holding out?
Dick, responding to anonymous: Molly (Minnpost link comment above) provided a link to an excellent analysis of the money situation with the MO. As one who spent most of my working career in and around collective bargaining, I know that the “truth” was often false, in the way that it was presented. The numbers were accurate, but one was foolish to take them at face value. My understanding, and this is only my understanding, is that from early on the Union only wanted to see the documentation of the supposed money problems. For whatever reason, the Orchestra Management declined – and may still be declining – to reveal the kind of things suggested in the MinnPost article. In my own pretty extensive history with bargaining, including working with many staff people who had the same job as I did, all of us working over the years with thousands of contracts, money was almost always the stated public issue; most often, though, the primary issue was not money at all. People could understand $’s (whether the numbers were true or not made no difference); they had more difficulty with conceptual things, often things like being treated with basic respect. From what I know, and I don’t know the entire story here, because no one will ever tell me that, “money” is not and has never been the issue in the conflict between the Orchestra Management and its Union. Money has been the excuse, but not the reason. It also interests me that Minneapolis Star Tribune has twice passed on columns from me about this issue. This is not a matter of writing ability: I’ve been published frequently in the STrib. They aren’t interested in my dissonant voice on this issue. (The President and CEO of the STrib is also on the Board of the Minnesota Orchestra.)
Comments also found at my June 1 Post:
From Alan S, June 2, 2013: I just cannot believe how disrespectful this board is towards their musicians and their patrons. I cannot believe that they have any understanding about what these musicians go through to get to the level so that they can perform in the blind auditions and get acceptance to be hired at that level.
What kind of management would spend 50 million dollars to improve their plant, Orchestra Hall, which I believe is the most pathetic building that houses a major orchestra in any city in the country for a city of our size. Over 10 % of the seats cannot see the entire stage. On the third tier, close to the stage, you have at the most a 20 to 25% view of the stage, and the sound there is pathetic.
The building should have been built like the Ordway, not as deep and twice as wide so that every seat in the auditorium would have a straight on view of the magnificent orchestra that we used to enjoy. The plaza could have been designed to be in the rear of the building. After this building was built, and it was discovered that all of the seating did not have a complete view of the stage, the words architectural blunder appeared in the paper just once, and then never again.
4th row is great seats. We used to have seats in the center section on the left aisle in that row for many years. I myself never went to hear music, but to watch music being made. That location allowed me, if there was a pianist, to see his or her hands on the keyboard.
My own daughter performed as a sub (violist) with that orchestra when Leonard Slatkin was the conductor. One of the letters stated that only 52% of the seats are filled for concerts, Are they blaming their marketing shortcomings on the orchestra members? It appears that to me.

Cancelled Concert Nov. 30, 2012. This was a special event including our 83 year old friend, and his friend.

from John G, June 4, 2013:
Beginning last September when I got first word of this lockout I have been
“on this case.” Likely you have the MOMO website, and there you can see
among “replies” my letters there. From the outset of this mismanagement’s
lockout it has been clear that they own no loyalty to our musicians and to
Osmo Vanska. For me this string of lockout cancellations has been one of
the major disappointments of a life that has been, since my mother’s
teaching of music, altogether fascinated by the world of classical music.
Anger about this is mine as well. I am also fully embarrassed by the
inaction of the powers that be, including our governor whose former wife has
been such a loyal supporter of the MO.
From the start the faceless Board has aimed to destroy the musicians’ union.
Years ago I served on the Board of the Inter-Faculty organization, a
thoroughly weak representative of faculty on the then-seven campuses of the
Minnesota State University System, and I have seen mismanagement in church
settings as well. Dick, the barbarians are storming our gates. Perhaps not
even the group of attorneys that I have repeatedly invoked, could turn
around this situation.
In any case, there is no publicly visible effort to
do that. Not only are we losing our Minnesota Orchestra as we have known it
under Osmo Vanska superb world-class leadership as Music Director. We are
also witnessing another terrible blow against unions and workers’ necessary
right to organize for their own right to exist.
Many thanks for your outrage and its effective expression. John
From Jane P, June 10, 2013: I couldn’t agree more. However, there is so little we can do. Not really anyway to contact them, is there? They are in an ivory tower – it is the newly remodeled hall that is useless.
To me this is a giant example of two very dangerous attitudes I see constantly in art and academic institutions: 1 . buildings are more important than programs 2. the labor and skills of most people have little value and can be easily reproduced by eager hungry new hires.
This is the path to the stone age!
Dick’s reply to Jane: I don’t agree that there is little we can do. If the audience, the subscribers, were to say we won’t be back unless the Orchestra itself asks us back, there’d be movement, fast.
Of course, a subscriber revolt is a very unlikely scenario, but it is possible. You are in the arts. This is an important issue for you, too!
Note additional comment(s) in Response section, below, and at Twin Cities Daily Planet posting (link at beginning of this post).

#728 – Dick Bernard: A great day around kids.

June 3, 2013/1 Comment/in Community, Education, Family History, Media, Minnesota, North Dakota, Peace & Justice, Quietings /by dickbernard

Today I visited two school events, one in Minneapolis, one in South St. Paul. One planned, one last minute. The events caused me to go into my memento box and pull out a little memory book from back in the 1950s.

The book seems to be from my Junior year in high school (Antelope Consolidated, rural Mooreton ND). About all it includes are the basketball scores from that year. We won more than we lost. Once we scored 91 points; once an opponent scored 91 against us.
I loved basketball in our tiny schools. It was about the only sport available. Sometimes there was summer baseball; only once were there enough of us to have a six-man football team. There were no other sports, and never, in high school, a band – no teacher with even rudimentary skills.
The good old days.
Todays planned event was over at Washburn High School in south Minneapolis. I had been there some months ago during a troubled time, and wrote about a community meeting then.
Today was much more uplifting. The students of Cristina Benz’s first hour ceramics class and [some other] students have been diligently working on making a peace pole to rededicate Washburn as an International Peace Site.
They had constructed a unique Peace Pole out of ceramic squares, all reflecting the word “peace” in different ways and different languages. There was an hour of discussion and refreshments, and I went away refreshed in more ways than simply a bagel! The actual dedication of the pole will be a bit later. School ends for the year tomorrow.
Of course, Washburn ended up in the news for something negative…the way news often is. I asked how the next few non-newsworthy months have gone. By all accounts: just fine. The school moved on. The news media went to the next negative stories….
Here are a few photos from the class:
(click to enlarge)

Two students explain the still incomplete Peace Pole at Washburn High School

1939 Washburn High School graduate Lynn Elling talks to this years students at the class.

Some lucky bird may take up residence in this ceramic birdhouse which will grace the top of the completed peace pole.

Teacher Cristina Benz chats with guest Lynn Elling after his presentation.

Then to South St. Paul’s Lincoln Center School for the 5th grade run including granddaughter, Kelly.
It was a beautiful day, and the run was plenty long and hard. Quite a number of teachers participated.
This was a fun run: you go at your own pace. I got to thinking back to those old days when, perhaps, there’d be what I think was called a Play Day. I thought of one particular one in Stanley ND when I was in 8th grade. The tiny schools came together for a time of competitions of the time: sack races, softball toss, that sort of thing.
A feature of today’s So. St. Paul run that you wouldn’t have seen in those days was the inclusion of everybody, regardless of native ability. It was a day of personal bests for all.
That’s one of many neat parts of todays society. It hasn’t always been so.
Happy Summer, kids!
Here’s some photos from Lincoln Center run today:

The 5th grade run begins.

Kids from other classes extend support.

Heading towards a personal best.

Doing a lap on the track.

Almost finished!

Schools done. 1950s depiction.