The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra appears to be on track to end its lockout of musicians and salvage a remnant of the 2012-13 concert season.
At the last minute Tuesday afternoon, the musicians' negotiating team told the board of directors that it would seek a vote of all musicians on a proposed contract that was brokered with the help of St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman.
The board of directors, meeting in a special session to discuss the future of the orchestra, was discussing the offer. It was expected to announce its disposition after the meeting.
The board called its meeting after musicians did not meet a 5 p.m. Monday deadline for accepting terms that had been worked out through the intervention of St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman. The musicians on Monday listed several objections to the plan, and Coleman subsequently defended the potential deal, urging the union to take the proposal to a vote.
Tuesday morning, negotiators sent a letter to board chairman Dobson West with fewer requests for alterations in the Coleman-brokered proposal. West responded that the remaining issues could be discussed during a "talk and play" period. However, he said, the terms would remain unchanged from Monday.
Graydon Royce • 612-673-7299
