The letter, which comes on the eve of the orchestra's departure for a three-week European tour, is to be presented to the board Wednesday, and was signed by about 80 of the orchestra's 100 or so members, said players committee chairman John Koen. In a sign of an increasingly riven institution, the message was delivered on "Philadelphia Orchestra Musicians" letterhead.
Vulgamore did not respond to messages seeking her response.
Koen, a cellist, said that musicians had not developed an official position on what should happen now, but that one idea "voiced by many musicians" was to start from scratch on a new strategic plan.
That said, the current plan makes some good points, he said. "Musicians have been saying for 15 years that the orchestra needs to spend more money marketing itself and needs a more robust development staff to raise money," said Koen. "The plan said they should do that, but so have previous plans, and it didn't happen."
The May 19 strategic plan detailed troubling trends in ticket sales and philanthropy, and outlined ideas to re-engage audiences and donors. The artistic budget would be limited, and international touring curtailed except to the extent that it could be funded. Although the language was vague, the plan proposed expanding the orchestra's repertoire into more populist realms, and suggested repackaging ideas such as dressing the musicians in more informal attire and holding social events in connection with concerts. Many of these ideas have been proposed or tried here before.
Vulgamore touted the plan as an expression of institutional cohesiveness, and said musicians were involved in its preparation.
