Philadelphia Orchestra Association & musicians announce agreement to end strike

The Philadelphia Orchestra Association announced a tentative agreement with the musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Local 77 of the American Federation of Musicians Sunday evening.

This follows a strike led by the musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra which began Friday night.

According to a press release, the executive and human resources committees of the board of directors of the Philadelphia Orchestra voted unanimously at a meeting earlier on Sunday to recommend the new contract to the full board.

That is expected to be voted on at a special meeting of the Board of Directors on Tuesday.

The biggest bargaining issue for the musicians is compensation. On Friday, they collectively rejected the orchestra leadership's salary offer.

Allison Vulgamore, president and chief executive officer of The Philadelphia Orchestra, said Friday, "The decision by the musicians to cancel the Season Opening Gala performance is naturally disappointing to all of us. However, even as our last several years have seen us overcome numerous challenges, we hope this, too, will soon lead to a mutually satisfactory agreement."

Audience Appreciation Day Concerts will be held throughout the city on Tuesday, with scheduled performances with the Simon Rattle Concert resuming on Thursday at 8:00 p.m. at Verizon Hall in the Kimmel Center.