Washington proudly calls its nine-year-old orchestra the National Symphony Orchestra, proudly considers it one of the dozen-odd major symphonies of the U. S.
Conductor since the start has been Hans Kindler, bouncing, blond Netherlander, no kindler of heat in his 80 players but a hilarious prankster, always good for a funny pose when the boys with the cameras come around. Last week the National Symphony announced that this season would be its last. Reason: union trouble.
Base pay for the Symphony has been $50 a week for a 23-week season, or less than $25 on a yearly basis if a player has no...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
