Minn. Orchestra Head’s Exit Prompts 8 Board Members to Quit

Eight members of the Minnesota Orchestra’s board have given up their seats in the aftermath of orchestra President and CEO Michael Henson’s resignation, reports the Star Tribune.

The orchestra announced March 20 that Mr. Henson, who led the symphony through a tempestuous 16-month lockout of musicians that ended in January, would step down at the end of August. His exit was widely seen as a condition for the return of conductor Osmo Vanska, who resigned amid the labor strife.

Three weeks after giving Mr. Henson a vote of confidence, the divided 77-member board approved his leaving as part of a negotiated package. “By encouraging a person to resign—one who had tirelessly helped us work toward sustainability—we send the wrong message to future applicants for that position,” Teri E. Popp, one of the departing board members, wrote in a letter to the body’s chairman, Gordon Sprenger.