Arts Commission urged to press San Francisco Symphony on chorus contract

At the Nov. 4 meeting of the San Francisco Arts Commission, public commenters asked the commission to press the San Francisco Symphony to resolve a stalled contract with its chorus.

Ivy Yan, in-house counsel for the American Guild for Musical Artists and a chief negotiator for the Symphony chorus, told commissioners the symphony "resisted reaching a fair deal" with union choristers and canceled three days of performances after receiving notice the chorus intended to strike. Yan urged SFAC, a major public funder and donor to the symphony, to intercede and demand transparency and investment in the chorus's long-term stability: "You have the power to bring them to the table and to demand transparency about the direction of the organization."

Volunteer singer Tim Saliver, who described a long relationship with the orchestra dating to 1973, said volunteer and professional choristers sustain the symphony's work and that proposed reductions to chorus staffing or pay would harm cultural life and local businesses. "The recent reductions proposed by the San Francisco Symphony are not just financial cuts. They signal a decline in the community's quality of life," Saliver said.

Neither the director's report nor commissioners' remarks recorded a formal commission action on the request. Public commenters asked commissioners to contact the speakers for more information; Yan left contact information for follow-up. The public comment period closed with no motion recorded on the matter.