Minnesota Opera Postpones World Premiere of ‘The Many Deaths of Laila Starr’ Amid Contract Impasse
Audience members waiting to see the Halloween night curtain rise on a major new production will have to wait until late 2027 or early 2028. mprnews.org reported this week that the Minnesota Opera has postponed the world premiere of The Many Deaths of Laila Starr as contract negotiations with the Minnesota Opera Orchestra drag on.
The postponement comes five months into contentious bargaining between management and the American Federation of Musicians Local 3073. Opera leadership proposed a temporary no-strike, no-lockout agreement that would have allowed the show to proceed while ensuring orchestra members received retroactive pay increases once a final contract was reached. The union rejected that proposal.
At the Negotiating Table and Behind the Curtain
The company released a statement noting it could not responsibly place patrons and creative teams in that position.
Minnesota Opera Postpones World Premiere of 'The Many Deaths of Laila Starr'https://t.co/3UioTCvHwX
“We’re not at a place where I feel like we are within striking distance of an agreement just yet,” Taylor said, as reported by mprnews.org. He noted that the temporary agreement would have resulted in no loss of pay for the orchestra or the roughly 214 other artists tied to the production.
Cellist Rebecca Arons, chair of the negotiating committee, offered a different perspective on the rejected interim agreement. She characterized the proposal as disingenuous given that leadership had offered zero wage increases at the bargaining table.
“You are saying that you can provide increases and you are offering exactly zero at the negotiating table — to then demand an agreement such as that is not anything that any one would think was reasonable,” Arons said.
Beyond immediate compensation, Arons pointed to a deeper philosophical divide over how management views the musicians. She told mprnews.org that a central issue is the company treating orchestra members as per-service musicians rather than recognizing the ensemble as a foundational community institution that has driven the organization’s artistic excellence for 63 years.
Orchestra Strike Cancels The Many Deaths of Laila Starr
The labor dispute follows an orchestra vote earlier this month authorizing a strike, triggered by management proposals for a second consecutive four-year contract without wage increases. Despite the abrupt scheduling change, company leadership confirmed that all artists, including orchestra members, will be paid their fees for the season as originally contracted.
Ticketholders for The Many Deaths of Laila Starr—which was originally scheduled for a run between October 31 and November 8, 2026, featuring a cast that included Leela Subramaniam, Omar Najmi, Efraín Solís, Mariam Mouawad, Ashraf Sewailam, and Emily Finke—have three options. Patrons can use their tickets for the rescheduled performance next year, transfer them to another production later this season, or request a refund.
To connect with the community during the disruption, the orchestra scheduled a free concert of favorite opera arias at 7 p.m. Sunday at the University of Minnesota’s Ted Mann Concert Hall in Minneapolis. The Minnesota Opera’s next scheduled mainstage production remains My Name is Florence, set for January 8 and 9.
