Musicians Protest Use of Canned Music

Musicians staged a rally in front of Lincoln Center Tuesday night to protest the Paul Taylor Dance Company's use of canned music to accompany its performances.

About 35 musicians from Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians handed out fliers and in one case, played the violin, as audiences arrived for the dance company's first show in a three-week run at the David H. Koch Theater.

In an interview Tuesday afternoon, Tino Gagliardi, the president of Local 802, said the union had approached the Paul Taylor Dance Company late last year to request that it begin using live musical accompaniment, arguing that recorded music has never previously had a significant place on Lincoln Center's stages. The company says it doesn't have the budget.  Read More