INQUIRER: In a bit of theater in support of organized labor, musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra gathered on stage for their usual Thursday night concert, and then, minutes before curtain time, fanned out into the audience with leaflets pleading their case with the listening public.
All was cordial, with smiles and handshakes, as the players even snagged late arrivers in the plaza outside the hall. They returned to the stage to a rousing ovation from the audience and waved their instruments in response.
The action was the first overt distress signal from talks between musicians and management that began in October and that now appear headed for a showdown Saturday morning, when the orchestra board is slated to take a vote on filing Chapter 11.
