Bloglander

The drama keeps getting hotter over at the Fox Theater, where the Spokane Symphony has just announced more cancellations of upcoming concerts.

In the midst of a dispute over contracts, the musicians of the Spokane Symphony went on strike last weekend. The strike came after the Symphony Board refused to budge on its proposed 13 percent pay cut for musicians. As of yesterday, both parties were at a standstill.

The Symphony released a press release this morning announcing that the strike has forced the cancellation of several other shows, including Saturday's hotly anticipated Video Games Live show.

The cancelled shows are:

- Symphony with a Splash, Nov. 9

- Video Games Live, Nov. 10

- Classics: Rachmaninoff and Pictures, Nov. 17 and Nov. 18

In addition, Board President Peter Moye offered these thoughts:

“We are very disappointed that our patrons and ticket holders will be deprived of these wonderful concerts. The strike follows several months of negotiations in which the Society bargained respectfully and in good faith, returning to the table on Nov. 1. There have been multiple offers and many concessions by the Society with lack of any agreement,” said Spokane Symphony Board President Peter Moye.

“As a local, independent non-profit arts organization, our priority has been to pursue long-term sustainability and protect musician jobs. While we worked very hard to reach an agreement, the union chose to strike rather than continue bargaining. The musicians are being represented by an international union negotiator, who represents a national agenda rather than seeking consensus. We are dismayed that we have been forced into the position of cancelling this much anticipated line-up of concert experiences,” Moye said.