YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Contract negotiations between the Youngstown Symphony Society and the union that represents the musicians in the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra are coming down to the wire, with the pact set to expire on Sunday, Aug. 31.
The Symphony Society, which operates the orchestra, has yet to release its schedule for the 2025-26 season, which it typically does in the middle of summer. The first concert is usually in October.
The musicians in the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra are represented by the American Federation of Musicians Local 86-242 in Youngstown. The current contract began two years ago.
In a statement released Monday afternoon, Matt Pagac, CEO of the Youngstown Symphony Society, said the Symphony Society and the Henry H. Stambaugh Auditorium Association are in negotiations “regarding the continued operation” of the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra.
“An announcement regarding the 2025-26 YSO season and the music director position will be made if an agreement is reached,” the statement reads. “The parties are contributing significant efforts to continue the long history of the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra.”
The YSO has been operating without a music director-conductor since the 2020 death of Randall Craig Fleischer. It has been hiring guest conductors for each concert, relying heavily on Finnish American conductor Erik Ochsner last season.
The leader of the musicians union on Monday expressed confidence that the contract talks will be settled before the end of the week.
“Negotiations on a new contract are in progress with both sides trying to resolve their differences,” said Rex Taneri, president of the AFM local. “I have full confidence that everything will work out in negotiating the new agreement.”
The orchestra has 40 to 50 members.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, some members of the YSO anonymously expressed their displeasure over the symphony society’s handling of contract talks.
“The musicians of the Youngstown Symphony felt it necessary to be transparent with our community and concertgoers as to why no 2025-26 concert schedule has been released,” they wrote in a Facebook post.
“… the Youngstown Symphony Society has failed to engage or respond to requests for negotiations… [and] provide a final season schedule by Aug. 1, as dictated by our current collective bargaining agreement,” the post continues. “The Youngstown Symphony Society board of directors has continually failed us time and time again. They have proved themselves to be committed to only the maintenance of the DeYor Performing Arts Center and clearly not the world class musicians that grace the Powers Auditorium stage.”
The post was signed “the Musicians of the YSO.” They declined a request for further comment.