Chairman of the Vienna Philharmonic Writes Letter in Support of MET Musicians

Daniel Froschauer, violinist and member of the Vienna Philharmonic's board of directors, released an open letter voicing concern for the musicians of New York's Metropolitan Opera House

The Met Orchestra Musicians & the Met Chorus Artists have not been paid for 11 months and counting.

Many others in the industry have spoken out about the issue, including Chicago Symphony Music Director Riccardo Muti. The MET's Music Director, Yannick Nézet-Séguin pledged $50,000 in matching donations to the musicians.

Most recently, Vienna Philharmonic violinist Daniel Froschauer released the following statement:

"The world is watching. 30% of the members of the MET Orchestra can no longer sustain a living in New York City due to being faced with no salary from the Metropolitan Opera since April 1, 2020. This number will likely climb higher as the crisis continues. The Met’s global reputation and the cultural landscape of New York City would be devastated by the loss of artists of this caliber — this orchestra hosts some of the best players in the world. These musicians have a cultural and economic impact beyond that of bringing great opera to the world; they are teachers and mentors too. They contribute to the communities they live in by inspiring people in all areas and stages of life.

The members of the orchestra need more advocacy from their management and support from the Government. There should be more attention on this cultural devastation before it is too late. We as colleagues and friends from the Vienna Philharmonic hope that the Metropolitan Opera can find ways to adapt and include their house musicians in their programming efforts going forward."