Dear bassists friends,
some news from Rio de Janeiro, where my colleagues from the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira are suffering tremendous pression. You'll find all informations in the documents below. I play in another orchestra, namely Orquestra Petrobras Sinfônica. The support to our colleagues is really strong in Brazil and abroad. I am very proud of my 8 colleagues from the bass group of OSB, for they all boycotted the audition.
One other aspect of this question is that auditions are planned for the OSB in May, to take place in London and New York. OK, everyone is free, but it would be wise to think about solidarity, and if not, at least possible huge problems of integration in this orchestra, due to the chaotic situation! Today there are 13 jobs offered, which would be of great help to the current members of the orchestra who are working a lot. But after this enormous crash, one may expect for more positions to be offered. Please note that there was initially no vacancy for double-bass: if some double-bass position is offered until May, it will mean that someone has been fired.
Thank you all!
Gael Lhoumeau
To whom it may concern
One of the leading orchestras in the world, Orquestra Sinfonica Brasileira is being dismantled in the most scandalous, shameful and rarely seen, if ever, manner. Its members, artists of the highest caliber, and a constantly growing number of music professionals around the world, including some of the top names in the music industry are all seriously concerned about this highly unprecedented situation. Refusing a solution of facility, facing a mounting pressure and intimidation , the OSB musicians decided to stand up in defense of their convictions by staging a powerful protest against their musical director Roberto Minczuk and the OSB administration, massively followed by Brazilian and international music lovers. The embattled musicians, acting with the most exemplary courage, dignity and integrity need every support they can get to pursue their legitimate struggle. Please help by signing and circulating their petition available online:
Abaixo-assinado Moção de repúdio às ações da administração da Fundação OSB contra seus músicos e pelo restabelecimento da temporada completa da OSB
Thank you.
Jozef Kapustka, pianist
English translation of the original message:
OSB managers, stop harassing OSB musicians and immediately reinstate the full professional orchestra in the first half of the 2011 season!
This is a public petition to be submitted to the OSB Foundation Board of Trustees and OSB sponsors: BNDES (National Bank for Social and Economic Development), Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (Vale do Rio Doce Corporation) and Prefeitura Municipal do Rio de Janeiro (Government of the City of Rio de Janeiro).
We, the undersigned, regular audience and subscribers of the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra (OSB), one of the most important and highly respected musical institutions in the country, hereby vehemently protest against the actions perpetrated by the Executive Management of the OSB Foundation and its Artistic Director, Mr. Roberto Minczuk against its orchestral body: all members of the ensemble have been required to take part in reauditions for the same orchestral positions they currently hold, as if they were first time job applicants at the OSB. According to both conductor and administration, this procedure was devised as part of a restructuring project of the orchestra they intend to implement (cf. Link Removed Invalid Link Removed). This plan, however, has been highly criticized and condemned by most professionals in the field, many of whom among the most highly respected both in the national and international musical arena, as one can see in numerous texts published on the internet, such as the ones found in the links below:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Invalid Link Removed
Invalid Link Removed
Invalid Link Removed
A series of unacceptable consequences can already be felt as the result of this restructuring project; they are facts that we, OSB audience and subscribers, must speak out against:
1- The removal of the professional orchestra from half the seasons concerts and the abusive, unethical and unpedagogic situation the OSB Youth Orchestra has been compelled to face since its young musicians have been scheduled to replace the major orchestra in the series traditionally performed by OSB, including the opening concert of the season.
2- The lack of professional respect for both novice and tenured musicians, who have already been punished with suspensions from the job, without pay, for refusing to participate in the so-called performance evaluation process, and the threat of dismissal due to gross misconduct if they are absent again from the reauditions.
3- The clearly unilateral and despotic attitude on the part of the FOSB managers when, three days into the musicians collective vacation, the Foundation sent them a letter informing all musicians that an evaluation process would be held: this was done without any input from the musicians or their representatives. The refusal, on the part of the administration of the orchestra, to engage in dialogue and negotiation, preconditions for a sound professional relationship in any free and democratic society, is further evidenced by recent events: not a single representative of the OSB Foundation attended a scheduled meeting with the OSB musicians representatives and the Musicians Union at the Brazilian Labor Ministry on March 10.
4- The plans for hiring musicians for the positions already open and for the ones that will be created after the mass dismissal of tenured musicians: auditions are planned to be held abroad (i.e. in London and New York) before residents in Brazil are given the opportunity to audition, as published in the OSB official site. It is very sad to see that this plan reveals a disdainful attitude towards musicians who currently live and work in Brazil. That is how the FOSB administration and Mr Minczuk plan to transform OSB into a truly international orchestra.
We, therefore, demand an immediate reversal of the situation presented in this document by requesting that both parties (musicians on one hand and FOSB and Mr Minczuk on the other) sit down and start a dialogue before our beloved OSB is fully disintegrated. The country cannot do without a traditional institution such as this, which has always been in the forefront of the battle towards the promotion and enhancement of classical music in Brazil and which has been source of so many moments of sheer beauty, art and joy for the last seventy years.
We, the undersigned, forward this public petition to the Board of Trustees of the OSB Foundation and the orchestras main partners and sponsors (BNDES, Vale do Rio Doce and Prefeitura do Rio de Janeiro) in high hopes that they intervene to help promote understanding between both parties involved so that a harmonious and fair outcome may be reached.
How to sign the OSB petition in Petição Pública Brasil website
Hello everyone! This is a simple guide to sign the OSB petition in Petição Pública Brasil website. Unfortunately, this website is only in Portuguese. So, I translated to English for all the people over the world could sign it.
Best reagards,
Luísa de Castro
Violinist, Orquestra Sinfônica Nacional
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Abaixo-assinado Moção de repúdio às ações da administração da Fundação OSB contra seus músicos e pelo restabelecimento da temporada completa da OSB
How to sign the petition:
1 - At the end of the petition/motion you should click on the following statement:
Assinar o abaixo-assinado Moção de repúdio às ações da administração da Fundação OSB contra seus músicos e pelo restabelecimento da temporada completa da OSB
This statement means: Sing the petition 'OSB management, stop harassing OSB musicians and immediately reinstate the full professional orchestra in the first half of the 2011 season'
2 After your click, a new window will open requesting your personal data:
-Nome completo (obrigatório):
{Full name (required):
-Email (obrigatório):
{E-mail (required):
-Cidade (obrigatório):
{City (required):
-Cep (facultativo):
{Zip Code (optional):
-Data de Nascimento (facultativo):
{Date of Birth (optional):
-Comentários (facultativo):
{Comments (optional):
-*Privacidade do endereço de Email: ( ) Privado
( ) Disponível para o Autor do Abaixo-assinado
( ) Público
{*Email identification privacy: ( ) Private
( ) Available to the author of the petition
( ) Public
-( ) Não me importo que o Petição Pública Brasil me contate para campanhas ou abaixo-assinados do mesmo género.
( ) I allow Petição Pública do Brasil to contact me for petitions or campaigns of the same nature
*"Privado": Seu email é guardado num local privado e seguro e utilizado apenas para validar sua assinatura.
"Disponível para o Autor do Abaixo-assinado": Seu email não é público, apenas pode ser visualizado pelo autor do abaixo-assinado. Seu email é também guardado num local privado e seguro e apenas utilizado para validar sua assinatura.
"Público": Público significa que qualquer pessoa que navegue no site do abaixo-assinado poderá ver seu email e também enviar-lhe um email.
{* Private: Your email is archived in a private and safe place and used just to validate your signature;
Available to the author of the petition: Your email isnt public but can be shown to the author of the petition. Your email is archived in a private and safe place and used to validate your signature.
Public: Public means that anyone who enters in the petition website can see your email and can send you an email too.
After you fill out your personal data, you should click on:
Assinar Abaixo-Assinado
{Sing the petition}
3- After that you will receive an email to confirm your signature. Click on the link provided in the message, similar to the following:
Petição Pública Brasil Confirmação
some news from Rio de Janeiro, where my colleagues from the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira are suffering tremendous pression. You'll find all informations in the documents below. I play in another orchestra, namely Orquestra Petrobras Sinfônica. The support to our colleagues is really strong in Brazil and abroad. I am very proud of my 8 colleagues from the bass group of OSB, for they all boycotted the audition.
One other aspect of this question is that auditions are planned for the OSB in May, to take place in London and New York. OK, everyone is free, but it would be wise to think about solidarity, and if not, at least possible huge problems of integration in this orchestra, due to the chaotic situation! Today there are 13 jobs offered, which would be of great help to the current members of the orchestra who are working a lot. But after this enormous crash, one may expect for more positions to be offered. Please note that there was initially no vacancy for double-bass: if some double-bass position is offered until May, it will mean that someone has been fired.
Thank you all!
Gael Lhoumeau
To whom it may concern
One of the leading orchestras in the world, Orquestra Sinfonica Brasileira is being dismantled in the most scandalous, shameful and rarely seen, if ever, manner. Its members, artists of the highest caliber, and a constantly growing number of music professionals around the world, including some of the top names in the music industry are all seriously concerned about this highly unprecedented situation. Refusing a solution of facility, facing a mounting pressure and intimidation , the OSB musicians decided to stand up in defense of their convictions by staging a powerful protest against their musical director Roberto Minczuk and the OSB administration, massively followed by Brazilian and international music lovers. The embattled musicians, acting with the most exemplary courage, dignity and integrity need every support they can get to pursue their legitimate struggle. Please help by signing and circulating their petition available online:
Abaixo-assinado Moção de repúdio às ações da administração da Fundação OSB contra seus músicos e pelo restabelecimento da temporada completa da OSB
Thank you.
Jozef Kapustka, pianist
English translation of the original message:
OSB managers, stop harassing OSB musicians and immediately reinstate the full professional orchestra in the first half of the 2011 season!
This is a public petition to be submitted to the OSB Foundation Board of Trustees and OSB sponsors: BNDES (National Bank for Social and Economic Development), Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (Vale do Rio Doce Corporation) and Prefeitura Municipal do Rio de Janeiro (Government of the City of Rio de Janeiro).
We, the undersigned, regular audience and subscribers of the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra (OSB), one of the most important and highly respected musical institutions in the country, hereby vehemently protest against the actions perpetrated by the Executive Management of the OSB Foundation and its Artistic Director, Mr. Roberto Minczuk against its orchestral body: all members of the ensemble have been required to take part in reauditions for the same orchestral positions they currently hold, as if they were first time job applicants at the OSB. According to both conductor and administration, this procedure was devised as part of a restructuring project of the orchestra they intend to implement (cf. Link Removed Invalid Link Removed). This plan, however, has been highly criticized and condemned by most professionals in the field, many of whom among the most highly respected both in the national and international musical arena, as one can see in numerous texts published on the internet, such as the ones found in the links below:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Invalid Link Removed
Invalid Link Removed
Invalid Link Removed
A series of unacceptable consequences can already be felt as the result of this restructuring project; they are facts that we, OSB audience and subscribers, must speak out against:
1- The removal of the professional orchestra from half the seasons concerts and the abusive, unethical and unpedagogic situation the OSB Youth Orchestra has been compelled to face since its young musicians have been scheduled to replace the major orchestra in the series traditionally performed by OSB, including the opening concert of the season.
2- The lack of professional respect for both novice and tenured musicians, who have already been punished with suspensions from the job, without pay, for refusing to participate in the so-called performance evaluation process, and the threat of dismissal due to gross misconduct if they are absent again from the reauditions.
3- The clearly unilateral and despotic attitude on the part of the FOSB managers when, three days into the musicians collective vacation, the Foundation sent them a letter informing all musicians that an evaluation process would be held: this was done without any input from the musicians or their representatives. The refusal, on the part of the administration of the orchestra, to engage in dialogue and negotiation, preconditions for a sound professional relationship in any free and democratic society, is further evidenced by recent events: not a single representative of the OSB Foundation attended a scheduled meeting with the OSB musicians representatives and the Musicians Union at the Brazilian Labor Ministry on March 10.
4- The plans for hiring musicians for the positions already open and for the ones that will be created after the mass dismissal of tenured musicians: auditions are planned to be held abroad (i.e. in London and New York) before residents in Brazil are given the opportunity to audition, as published in the OSB official site. It is very sad to see that this plan reveals a disdainful attitude towards musicians who currently live and work in Brazil. That is how the FOSB administration and Mr Minczuk plan to transform OSB into a truly international orchestra.
We, therefore, demand an immediate reversal of the situation presented in this document by requesting that both parties (musicians on one hand and FOSB and Mr Minczuk on the other) sit down and start a dialogue before our beloved OSB is fully disintegrated. The country cannot do without a traditional institution such as this, which has always been in the forefront of the battle towards the promotion and enhancement of classical music in Brazil and which has been source of so many moments of sheer beauty, art and joy for the last seventy years.
We, the undersigned, forward this public petition to the Board of Trustees of the OSB Foundation and the orchestras main partners and sponsors (BNDES, Vale do Rio Doce and Prefeitura do Rio de Janeiro) in high hopes that they intervene to help promote understanding between both parties involved so that a harmonious and fair outcome may be reached.
How to sign the OSB petition in Petição Pública Brasil website
Hello everyone! This is a simple guide to sign the OSB petition in Petição Pública Brasil website. Unfortunately, this website is only in Portuguese. So, I translated to English for all the people over the world could sign it.
Best reagards,
Luísa de Castro
Violinist, Orquestra Sinfônica Nacional
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Abaixo-assinado Moção de repúdio às ações da administração da Fundação OSB contra seus músicos e pelo restabelecimento da temporada completa da OSB
How to sign the petition:
1 - At the end of the petition/motion you should click on the following statement:
Assinar o abaixo-assinado Moção de repúdio às ações da administração da Fundação OSB contra seus músicos e pelo restabelecimento da temporada completa da OSB
This statement means: Sing the petition 'OSB management, stop harassing OSB musicians and immediately reinstate the full professional orchestra in the first half of the 2011 season'
2 After your click, a new window will open requesting your personal data:
-Nome completo (obrigatório):
{Full name (required):
-Email (obrigatório):
{E-mail (required):
-Cidade (obrigatório):
{City (required):
-Cep (facultativo):
{Zip Code (optional):
-Data de Nascimento (facultativo):
{Date of Birth (optional):
-Comentários (facultativo):
{Comments (optional):
-*Privacidade do endereço de Email: ( ) Privado
( ) Disponível para o Autor do Abaixo-assinado
( ) Público
{*Email identification privacy: ( ) Private
( ) Available to the author of the petition
( ) Public
-( ) Não me importo que o Petição Pública Brasil me contate para campanhas ou abaixo-assinados do mesmo género.
( ) I allow Petição Pública do Brasil to contact me for petitions or campaigns of the same nature
*"Privado": Seu email é guardado num local privado e seguro e utilizado apenas para validar sua assinatura.
"Disponível para o Autor do Abaixo-assinado": Seu email não é público, apenas pode ser visualizado pelo autor do abaixo-assinado. Seu email é também guardado num local privado e seguro e apenas utilizado para validar sua assinatura.
"Público": Público significa que qualquer pessoa que navegue no site do abaixo-assinado poderá ver seu email e também enviar-lhe um email.
{* Private: Your email is archived in a private and safe place and used just to validate your signature;
Available to the author of the petition: Your email isnt public but can be shown to the author of the petition. Your email is archived in a private and safe place and used to validate your signature.
Public: Public means that anyone who enters in the petition website can see your email and can send you an email too.
After you fill out your personal data, you should click on:
Assinar Abaixo-Assinado
{Sing the petition}
3- After that you will receive an email to confirm your signature. Click on the link provided in the message, similar to the following:
Petição Pública Brasil Confirmação
)
