Vereinigung deutscher Opern- und Tanzensembles

The Vereinigung deutscher Opern- und Tanzensembles e.V. (VdO) is a German professional association and trade union that represents the interests of music-theatre and dance ensembles at German stages. It is the successor organisation to the Deutscher Chorsängerverband, founded in 1884, which was joined by the Ballett-Union in 1917 to form the Deutscher Chorsänger- und Ballett-Verband; from 1928 it was called Deutscher Chorsänger-Verband und Tänzerbund. That organisation was dissolved in 1935 under National Socialist rule and its members were brought into line (gleichgeschaltet) within the chamber system of nationalist cultural policy. After the war, opera choristers and stage dancers initially went without their own professional representation, which led to worsening social and economic conditions. On 22 June 1959 in Düsseldorf, on the initiative of the opera singer Walter Kane, who also served as managing director, the Vereinigung deutscher Opernchöre und Bühnentänzer e.V. in der DAG (VdO/DAG) was founded as the successor organisation to the chorus and dance association forcibly dissolved during the Third Reich. The VdO pursues the purpose of representing the cultural, social, legal and economic interests of its members, including protection of performance rights, promoting young talent, and assisting with difficulties connected to the profession. It primarily does this through regular negotiations with the Deutscher Bühnenverein (DBV) to adapt the nationwide collective agreement regarding fee increases and general working conditions such as working time, leisure, holiday and remuneration, as well as key social conditions such as continued payment of wages, anniversary benefits and supplementary benefits. It also conducts negotiations on company-level collective agreements at individual houses and assists directly on site with negotiations on works and service agreements and on individual and collective fee agreements. The VdO has a seat and vote on the working committee and administrative board of the Versorgungsanstalt der deutschen Bühnen (VddB), through which all artistically employed persons at German stages are insured for supplementary old-age provision, and it represents its members' interests there as well. As a professional association and trade union of music-theatre and dance ensembles at German stages, the VdO also represents them in the relevant bodies of the Gesellschaft zur Verwertung von Leistungsschutzrechten (GVL), the Deutscher Kulturrat, the Deutscher Musikrat and the International Federation of Actors (FIA). It further supports and advises its members in all matters arising directly and indirectly from their professional activity, offering individual legal advice and legal protection and representing them before the competent courts. Beyond that, the VdO sees itself as a mediator on socio-political matters affecting its members, whose living and working conditions are shaped by the special circumstances of their profession. The union publishes the bimonthly specialist magazine Oper & Tanz. In the years after its founding, the VdO succeeded in creating an independent collective bargaining framework for the professional, artistic and social concerns of opera choruses and dance groups, replacing the pay regulations that had persisted from the Nazi era. After a tough struggle for recognition of its bargaining capacity, the VdO achieved its first collective agreements with the Deutscher Bühnenverein in 1960 under the DAG's leadership of negotiations; their most important results were gradual alignment with the collective law of the public service. During the development of the new collective law, the framework collective agreements for chorus and dance were separated from those for soloists and stage technicians, and an independent stage arbitration system was established.

The VdO's roots go back to 1884, when the Deutscher Chorsängerverband was founded in view of the increasing social and artistic emancipation of artists' collectives, whose "liberation from misery" Richard Wagner had already demanded. In 1917 the Ballett-Union joined this association, creating the Deutscher Chorsänger- und Ballett-Verband. From 1928 it called itself Deutscher Chorsänger-Verband und Tänzerbund, but it could no more maintain its existence during the Nazi era than any other trade union or professional association. In 1935 the association was dissolved and its members were "gleichgeschaltet", forced into the chamber system of nationalist cultural policy. After the war, the formerly well-organised opera choristers and stage dancers initially forwent their own professional representation. The consequence was that the social and economic conditions for these collectives became increasingly worse and the social standing of their members declined. A further deterioration in the public perception of these professional groups could only be prevented by joining together again in their own professional association. Thus, on 22 June 1959 in Düsseldorf, on the initiative of the opera singer Walter Kane, who also served as managing director, the Vereinigung deutscher Opernchöre und Bühnentänzer e.V. in der DAG (VdO/DAG) was founded, seeing itself as the successor organisation to the chorus singers' association and dancers' league forcibly dissolved during the Third Reich. When the VdO joined the DAG in its founding year, it succeeded in the following years in creating an independent collective bargaining framework for the professional, artistic and social concerns of opera choruses and dance groups. In doing so, the pay regulations that had persisted from the Nazi era were replaced. After a tough struggle for recognition of its bargaining capacity, the VdO achieved its first collective agreements with the Deutscher Bühnenverein in 1960 under the DAG's leadership of negotiations; their most important results were gradual alignment with the collective law of the public service. During the development of the new collective law, the framework collective agreements for chorus and dance were separated from the contracts of soloists and stage technicians, and an independent stage arbitration system was established. In addition, fee classes oriented to orchestra sizes with an adjustment clause were introduced and – in January 1972 – the agreement on social protection for female opera chorus singers was made subject to collective agreement. By 1979 the two framework collective agreements were structurally anchored to such an extent that, in their qualitative further development in the following years, they formed the foundation for the Normalvertrag negotiated in 2003. With the founding of ver.di in 2001, the VdO left the DAG umbrella in order to stand on its own feet from then on and to continue to represent its members' specific interests knowledgeably and professionally. Under its leadership of negotiations, it was possible to achieve fundamental equal treatment of the opera chorus and dance group collectives through the creation of the Normalvertrag (NV) Chor/Tanz. The later consolidation of all artistically employed persons at theatres (apart from orchestra musicians) into one collective instrument – the NV Bühne with the special regulations Solo, Bühnentechnik, Chor und Tanz – was a step taken together with the sister union Genossenschaft Deutscher Bühnen-Angehöriger (GDBA).

• 2003

  Normalvertrag (NV) Chor/Tanz negotiated, achieving equal treatment of opera chorus and dance group collectives.

• 2001

  VdO leaves DAG umbrella following founding of ver.di.

• 1979

  Two framework collective agreements structurally anchored, forming foundation for later Normalvertrag.

• 1972

  Agreement on social protection for female opera chorus singers made subject to collective agreement in January.

• 1960

  First collective agreements with Deutscher Bühnenverein under DAG leadership.

• 1959

  Vereinigung deutscher Opernchöre und Bühnentänzer e.V. in der DAG (VdO/DAG) founded in Düsseldorf on 22 June.

• 1935

  Association dissolved under National Socialist rule; members gleichgeschaltet.

• 1928

  Renamed Deutscher Chorsänger-Verband und Tänzerbund.

• 1917

  Ballett-Union joins, forming Deutscher Chorsänger- und Ballett-Verband.

• 1884

  Deutscher Chorsängerverband founded.

Professional association and trade union for music-theatre and dance ensembles at German stages.

• Oper & Tanz

  Bimonthly specialist magazine published by the union.

1. 1Vereinigung deutscher Opern- und Tanzensembles e.V. |vdoper.de
2. 2Vereinigung Deutscher Opernchöre und Bühnentänzerwikidata.org
3. 3Vereinigung deutscher Opern- und Tanzensemblesde.wikipedia.org