Eastern Music Festival Board of Directors Votes to Dissolve the Organization

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GREENSBORO, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 6, 2025--

The board of directors of Eastern Music Festival (EMF) announced today that it has voted to dissolve the organization that for 64 years has organized and hosted an annual, five-week music festival in Greensboro devoted to the education of young musicians. This decision follows extensive efforts by the nonprofit to reach a mutually acceptable labor agreement with faculty musicians, the absence of which effectively prevents EMF from moving forward with its mission and operations.

The board’s decision came after faculty members failed to offer any compromise on their intractable bargaining positions, despite knowledge of dissolution as a next-step option and considerable efforts by federal mediators to bring the two sides together.

EMF will soon begin work on ceasing its operations and identifying one or more suitable, mission-aligned nonprofits to which EMF will transfer its remaining assets. In statements posted on its website ( www.easternmusicfestival.org/statement ) and sent by email to patrons, alumni, partners, and faculty, EMF announced its decision to dissolve, explained the factors that led to this outcome, and expressed gratitude to its community for more than six decades of support.

Eastern Music Festival was founded in 1962 by Sheldon “Shelly” Morgenstern, a long-time Greensboro resident and celebrated orchestral conductor. Morgenstern’s vision was an immersive summer program focused on educating and engaging young classical musicians aspiring to careers as music professionals. EMF has long been known for its intense and challenging repertoire for classical music students, many of whom have cited their opportunity to perform at a high level as the reason for coming to EMF. Over the past six decades, more than 10,000 student musicians from around the world have participated in the highly regarded music education program held each year on the campus of Guilford College.

“Eastern Music Festival grew to become one of the premier music festivals in the country, attracting some of the most promising young musicians in the world and putting Greensboro on the map for music lovers everywhere,” said Anne Starr Denny, chair of the EMF board. “The decision to dissolve the organization came not because of a lack of support, interest, or EMF’s commitment to the mission. This nationally important cultural institution that is treasured in Greensboro is being silenced because union and faculty leadership was unwilling to negotiate a viable path forward, instead focusing on waging a damaging, disingenuous public pressure campaign to divide the community and force EMF into a position with little or no real ability to effectively fundraise, recruit students, hire faculty or manage its operations to keep the Festival going.”

The faculty of Eastern Music Festival voted in November 2023 to be represented by Local 342 of the American Federation of Musicians. EMF thereupon recognized the union and entered into negotiations for a first-ever collective bargaining agreement beginning in January 2024. For nearly two years, the EMF board has worked to finalize a contract while preserving the organization’s core student-focused education mission. Over the same period, EMF board and staff explored avenues to sustain EMF’s operations and enhance its student-centered programs.

Negotiations between EMF and faculty representatives broke down in early 2025, resulting in the cancellation of the 2025 Festival. EMF had offered a significant increase in compensation, including housing stipends, while seeking to retain flexibility in faculty size and structure to best support its educational mission and programming goals.

A key point of disagreement was the union’s demand for control over managerial, programmatic, and staffing decisions. This included a proposed model requiring EMF to prioritize hiring a fixed number of tenured faculty and professional musicians to form a fully professional orchestra. This approach would deny opportunities for students to perform unless all professional options were first exhausted. Ultimately, the faculty’s insistence on this model as a condition of the collective bargaining agreement was incompatible with EMF’s commitment to keeping student education and performance at the heart of its mission.

“This board has made one of the most difficult decisions any nonprofit can face — but one we believe honors EMF’s proud history and legacy. We could not agree to terms that, in our judgment, go against the Festival’s student-centered mission, are unsustainable, and would ultimately threaten EMF’s future,” added Denny. “This is a heartbreaking moment for all of us — the board, executive team, staff, and the many donors and supporters who have invested their time, money, and energy to sustain EMF for the Greensboro community, our students, and the broader classical music world.”

About Eastern Music Festival

Eastern Music Festival is a nationally recognized summer educational program for gifted young musicians between the ages of 14 and 23 who are studying instrumental music (including orchestral instruments, piano, classical guitar, and conducting) and who are or may be exploring careers in music. Each summer, the festival has been hosted on the campus of Guilford College, with free and ticketed performances for the public at Guilford’s Dana Auditorium and other venues throughout the Greensboro, NC area. More than 10,000 young musicians from 40 countries have participated in the festival since it was founded in 1962. A sizable percentage of festival alumni have continued professional careers in music and the performing arts. Among them are Grammy award-winning trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s Concertmaster Stephanie Collins Matsuo, and cello sensation Sterling Elliott.

For more information, visit easternmusicfestival.org.

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PUB: 10/06/2025 11:00 AM/DISC: 10/06/2025 10:59 AM

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