ORCHESTRA ROW Meeting called precipitate

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33626, 30 August 1974, Page 10

ORCHESTRA ROW Meeting called precipitate

A precipitate meeting of subscribers of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra could only perpetuate the troubles facing the orchestra and the Civic Orchestra Foundation, said the foundation’s president (Mr N. G. Pickering) yesterday.

He was commenting on the announcement by a member of the foundation’s board of management (Mr G. A. Hay) that such a meeting would be called next week.

Mr Pickering was critical of the way in which Mr Hay announced the meeting, and said it was clear that Mr Hay was trying to set up a pressure group to retain the services of the orchestra’s former musical director (Mr Vanco Cavdarski). i “Mr Hay made no mention lof calling a meeting when I representatives of both points (of view met on Wednesday (evening to discuss all of this I informally,” Mr Pickering said. “But with the report of that meeting, we read that he is going to call a meeting of subscribers. i “Mr Hay knows very well [that a meeting of all board members — under the chairmanship of the director of the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council (Mr M. K. Rickard) — will be held on September 9.

“Therefore, for him to call a precipitate meeting of subscribers before the board as

la whole has had a chance to (discuss a proposed new constitution can serve no useful purpose,” Mr Pickering said.