The musicians' contract dispute with management came to a head on Friday when the orchestra was forced to cancel a concert scheduled for Saturday and another for today. More than 4,000 patrons have been told to hold on to their tickets. An orchestra spokesperson says it will contact patrons once the strike is over and will offer a number of options such as exchanges and cash refunds. It's unclear whether this Wednesday and Thursday's performances will go ahead as scheduled. That will depend on how soon the two sides can get down to talking again and hammer out a deal.
Wages are the big issue.
In 1992, The Toronto Symphony's musicians accepted a 16 per cent cut in annual income at a time when the orchestra was threatened with bankruptcy. The TSO's players say they have now fallen behind members of the Montreal Symphony and National Arts Centre Orchestra.