Orchestra Musicians Will Be Paid This Week Through Anonymous Donation

A large anonymous donation has reportedly been given to the Louisville Orchestra. The donation will allow the ensemble's musicians to be paid this week.The players say the administration told them their paycheck two weeks ago would be their last unless they agreed to pay cuts, a shorter season and a reduction in contracted musicians.They didn't agree to the cuts, but musicians committee chair Kim Tichenor says she was told Monday that a recent anonymous donation helped the orchestra make payroll."They didn't indicate what sort of donation it was or how long the donation will last. We do have a contract that's in place through May 31st, so at this point, we would expect to be paid through then," she says, adding that she is thankful to the donor.Negotiations between the administration and musicians are expected to last several months. Tichenor says the players will continue to push for new fundraising efforts over cuts. Administrators did not return a request for comment, but have previously said they will not negotiate with musicians through the press.