The 7/5/2011 edition of the Detroit News published an article by Lawrence B. Johnson that examines the ongoing impact fallout from this season’s prolonged strike at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO). In particular, Johnson focuses on the growing list of musicians who have decided to take jobs in other orchestras, retire, or simply up and leave as a result of an overwhelming lack of confidence in the orchestra’s leadership…

All in all, the article includes quotes from four DSO musicians; two who are leaving and two who are still with the orchestra and in some sort of representative position, but none of them had very much to say that was positive. The article included reactions from DSO leadership including DSO President Anne Parsons who, according to Johnson, “acknowledged the tension between management and musicians and said a certain amount of upset goes with any transition.”

The departures, [Parsons] said, “are individual decisions of people who chose not to make a commitment to Detroit and to the DSO. People who don’t want to stay with it shouldn’t stay with it.”

And according to the article, that’s precisely what one section violinist has decided to do. Lilit Danielyan, an 11 year veteran of the ensemble, has decided to leave. Johnson’s article quotes her as citing “a lack of mutual trust and respect between the musicians and DSO President Anne Parsons as a primary reason for her departure.”

So it seems that not much has changed in the relationship between musicians and executive management since the last high profile departure in May of long time concertmaster Emmanuelle Boisvert and based on reactions like those reported in the Detroit News coming from Parsons, that’s just fine with the DSO.