Category: today’s top story

“Frustration over the impasse, meanwhile, lies everywhere in Minneapolis: among subscribers and donors, among support groups and foundations, among businesses and restaurants near Orchestra Hall, even among politicians.”

One of those fundraising lunches might even have worked – if the company’s final work only hadn’t been about Anna Nicole Smith.

“The Enchanted Pose – which depicted two identical female nudes standing side by side – disappeared without trace having received critical acclaim in 1927 … Now it has emerged that the artist himself cut up the canvas and painted over the pieces.”

Lawrence Perelman: “Here’s how the musicians make history: Follow Maestro Vänskä’s lead and resign from the Minnesota Orchestral Association. Immediately announce the creation of the Minnesota Symphony, a self-governing orchestra modeled on the Vienna Philharmonic.”

“The dispute centered around whether the union would have jurisdiction over Carnegie Hall’s newly created education wing.”

“The resignation of the Finnish maestro was not unexpected — Vänskä had said last spring that he would quit if planned Carnegie Hall concerts were canceled because of the labor strife — but it fell like a bomb on the beleaguered orchestra that so far has been unable to negotiate a settlement that would return concert music to Minneapolis.”

The company, which has said that it hopes to be able to reimburse people who have bought tickets to the three productions that had been scheduled for the remainder of the season, sent an e-mail to subscribers Tuesday telling them of the decision to cancel the season and “wind down the company.”

“With no budget deal reached in Congress by the midnight deadline, workers were set to report to their agencies Tuesday morning for a half-day of shutdown preparations, including posting ‘closed’ signs and securing computers.”

“The night was very much like the death scene of an American opera company that was known for championing new works, helping start the careers of major singers including Beverly Sills and Plácido Domingo, and making opera affordable and accessible.”

“City Opera’s board voted Thursday to start bankruptcy proceedings next week and wind down the company’s affairs if it fails to raise $7 million by Monday, said Risa B. Heller, a spokeswoman for the company.”