March 2, 2026
Statement From Local 101-473 of the American Federation of Musicians On Dayton Performing Arts Alliance
More Than 1,000 People Have Signed Local 101-473 of the American Federation of Musicians Dayton Philharmonic Petition
Dayton, OH - Last week, Local 101-473 of the American Federation of Musicians announced a petition drive stating that “Protecting the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra's artistic mission and programming is essential to safeguarding Dayton’s cultural legacy, ensuring community access to vibrant live performances, and honoring the professional dedication of the artists who bring the music to life.” Today, the union announced that more than 1,000 people have already signed it. In a statement, the union said:
“We are grateful for the overwhelming community support. Protecting the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra’s artistic mission and programming is essential to safeguarding Dayton’s cultural legacy, ensuring community access to vibrant live performances, and honoring the professional dedication of the artists who bring the music to life. Short-term cost-cutting must not come at the expense of artistic excellence, community access, or the livelihoods of musicians. Reductions of this scale not only affect what is performed, but who is served. We are committed to remain an orchestra for all of Dayton.
As we said, we are extremely disappointed by DPAA’s decision to scale back programming for the 2026–27 season. Framing these reductions as ‘structural adjustments’ while failing to engage meaningfully with the workers who comprise the Philharmonic is unacceptable.
As this petition shows, the public is behind us.”
The text of the petition is below
“We stand united to preserve high-quality music and performing arts at the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance (DPAA). For years, the Dayton, Ohio community has enjoyed top-notch opera, ballet, and symphonic music at the DPAA; however, mismanagement and budget decisions have imperiled this for the future.
Recently, DPAA announced plans to scale back programming for the 2026-2027 season. These cuts harm the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra's artistic mission, reduce community access to live orchestral music, and devalue the years of training and dedication of artists and musicians.
Dayton deserves better! Short-term cost-cutting should not come at the expense of artistic excellence or musicians' livelihoods.
We call upon DPAA to halt further program eliminations and continue to work creatively with us to preserve employment and programming.”
Dayton, OH - Local 101-473 of the American Federation of Musicians, the union representing the musicians at the Dayton Philharmonic, released the following statement and launched a petition in reaction to the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance cutting programming for the 2026-27 season:
“We are extremely disappointed by the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance’s decision to scale back programming for the 2026-27 season. These cuts harm the Philharmonic’s artistic mission, reduce community access to live orchestral music, and devalue the years of training and dedication of our musicians. Framing these reductions as “structural adjustments” without meaningful collaboration with the workers who make up the philharmonic is unacceptable. Short-term cost-cutting should not come at the expense of artistic excellence or musicians' livelihoods.
We demand DPAA halt program eliminations, engage in mutually beneficial financial and artistic planning, and negotiate in good faith to preserve employment and programming. We call on patrons, civic leaders, and donors to oppose decisions that weaken Dayton’s cultural life. Sustainable financial planning must be aligned with artistic vitality and the stability of the professional musicians who make the Philharmonic possible.
We are prepared to use whatever tools are available to us to achieve these goals.