Minnesota Opera Orchestra musicians vote to authorize strike weeks before season opener
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Quick Read
All 46 member musicians of the Minnesota Opera Orchestra have voted to authorize a strike after they say Minnesota Opera management declined cost-of-living increases in addition to other demands.
“Striking is always the very last thing that we want to do,” said Rebecca Arons, who has been a cellist with the opera for 29 years. “We want to play. We're really looking forward to the start of the season, which is Oct. 31, and we are hoping that we can get to an agreement before then.”
The opera’s 2026-27 season is set to begin on Halloween with the world premiere of “The Many Deaths of Laila Starr.” The musicians are members of the American Federation of Musicians, Twin Cities Local 30-73.
Arons, who is chair of the negotiating committee, said management “started out with suggesting cuts to the orchestra, and now the suggestion is to keep our salary flat. It has been flat for the last four years.”
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
Minnesota Opera management shared a statement with MPR News that it is disappointed with the strike authorization announcement.
The statement also said the opera “is committed to reaching a fair and sustainable agreement that supports our orchestra musicians and protects the organization’s long-term artistic and financial health. While we respectfully disagree with several characterizations made by the Union — including the cost and impact of its proposal — we want to work through our differences at the bargaining table.”
Musicians in the Minnesota Opera Orchestra last authorized a strike in 2023. Arons said it avoided a strike after negotiations established a guaranteed minimum salary for musicians, even though it meant a pay cut. During those negotiations, Arons said the union conceded to no wage increases because “we were coming out of the pandemic.”
If the Minnesota Opera’s current contract proposal is adopted, Arons said that would mean eight years without a cost-of-living increase.
A Minnesota Opera web page titled “Claims Vs. Facts” states that orchestra compensation has increased because scale rates of pay and pension did not remain flat.
The union also claims that in the past four years, the opera authorized an 18 to 20 percent increase in salaries for the opera’s top four paid administrative positions. The opera counters that “the salaries of the highest-paid administrative staff only increased 2 percent from FY20 to FY25. The increases to which the Union refers represent a restoration to previous pay scales from voluntary pay cuts taken during the pandemic.”
At a press conference Tuesday, violinist Ian Snyder said the Minnesota Opera Orchestra buoys the arts community.
“This is one orchestra, but when you retain this orchestra, this is what allows there to be people to teach your children in MSP, musicians to be available for Broadway shows, for ballet series,” Snyder said. “We really appreciate being part of the entire arts ecosystem, and we expect our management to invest in its community by retaining us.”
Negotiations continue Wednesday.
