Two upcoming Baltimore Symphony Orchestra concerts in Montgomery County, Maryland, have been moved to Baltimore over a labor dispute at the Strathmore.
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra said it has relocated its two season-opening concerts from its Strathmore venue in North Bethesda to the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore due to an ongoing labor dispute with ticket sellers.
Both 8 p.m. performances will still take place on their originally scheduled dates, Saturday, Sept. 25 and Saturday, Oct. 2.
The change in venues was made by “to support efforts by Strathmore and I.A.T.S.E. Local 868, the union that represents Strathmore’s Ticket Office employees” and “give more time for the BSO and Strathmore to finalize an annual license agreement for the BSO’s 2021-22 season,” the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra said in a news release.
The union that represents ticket sellers filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board after Strathmore laid off its entire staff at the start of the COVID-19 crisis. That dispute has yet to be resolved.
Earlier this year, Strathmore proposed ticket kiosks at the venue as in-person performances return, but the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees said the move would threaten the job security of ticket workers.
