For the first time since the pandemic began, the Springfield Symphony Orchestra has announced two live performances scheduled at Symphony Hall.
The concerts are scheduled for April 22 and May 13, according to a statement from the SSO.
This comes as the symphony and its musicians remain locked in a very public contract dispute. A sticking point has been the lack of a 2021-2022 season.
The musicians plan to play the spring concerts, which were part of a National Labor Relations Board decision, according to Martin Kluger, the principal timpanist.
"As soon as we get [individual musician] contracts from the SSO," Kluger said, "we plan on performing those two concerts in April and May."
The National Labor Relations Board agreement also stipulated that the SSO pay musicians more than $270,000 in lost wages.
As for a future musicians contract, Kluger said the players look forward to meeting the SSO's new interim director, Paul Lambert, and they hope to get back to the negotiating table.
The musicians also plan to continue performing as the separate entity they established during the labor dispute, Kluger said.