The New York City Ballet thinks its orchestra should be heard and not seen — at least not in these shirts!
The renowned ballet organization indefinitely cancelled special performances in which the orchestra is raised up for the audience to see before a show begins — as the musicians insisted on wearing T-shirts demanding higher pay, The Post has learned.
“Management has been clear that this is a conditional decision based upon these shirts,” a Local 802 insider said, calling the move to scrap the orchestra’s time in the spotlight a “desperate” and “petty overreaction.”
Nearly all of the orchestra’s members have been wearing the black short-sleeved shirts with “Fair Contract” emblazoned in white amid a dispute over what they say are unfair wages, union sources said.
“I think the message on [the t-shirts] really gets under the skin of the ballet,” the insider said.
NYC Ballet management as a result decided to cancel a programming series called “See the Music,” in which the orchestra pit is raised to stage level and the music director speaks to the audience about the piece to be performed while the musicians play selected excerpts, the sources said.
The programs — which last about 15 minutes before the pit lowers back down and the actual ballet begins – are a chance for ballet-goers to learn about the music and see the orchestra before a show.
“This is something both the orchestra and the dancers imbue in their work together, and it’s really disappointing to see management just drop that entirely,” the insider said.
“It shows the very low regard with which the NYC Ballet management holds its orchestra that they are willing to take such great steps like that.”
Orchestra members voted on the day the season opened Sept. 19 to wear their salary negotiations on their sleeves, and plan to keep donning the T-shirts until the wage dispute is resolved — “no matter the cost,” the insider said.
Some of the shirts include a quote from famed choreographer and NYC Ballet co-founder George Ballanchine, who said “See the music, hear the dance,” referring to the relationship between the ballet’s musicians and its dancers.
Still, the shirts are a radical departure from the buttoned-up black and white ensembles the musicians normally wear, the insider said.
“I’m sure that management is not thrilled about the decorum,” the source said, “but they’re especially not thrilled about the very direct message these t-shirts are saying in terms of the orchestra’s sentiment about how they’re being treated by management.”
The orchestra’s most recent contract was signed in December 2021 and expired in August, the union said in a press release.
The musicians, who on average each make about $75,000 per year, say they took a 15% wage decrease in the 2021 contract amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
But they argue ballet ticket sales are exceeding pre-pandemic levels, yet wages for musicians haven’t come back up.
The union said it decided to take its message public after “months of bargaining” with the ballet.
The union insider said it was “disappointing” that the dispute has led to the cancellation of the special performances.
“They (the musicians) feel a sense of camaraderie with their dancer colleagues who are up on stage, and this is a chance for the audience to get a visual of where the music is coming from, because the stage is lowered for performances,” the source explained.
The New York City Ballet didn’t immediately return The Post’s request for comment Tuesday.