Minnesota Orchestra Musicians Reject Latest Contract Offer The players of the Minnesota Orchestra voted on Saturday to reject management's latest proposal for a new contract, its fourth since April 2012. The previous contract expired last year on Oct. 1, and the players have since been locked out, a standoff that ultimately killed the orchestra's entire 2012-13 season. So the stage is set for potential fireworks at noon on Monday, when the current offer expires. The new season, with programs yet to be announced, is supposed to open at the newly renovated Orchestra Hall on Friday and to include four high-profile concerts of music by Sibelius in Carnegie Hall, the first two in early November. Osmo Vanska, the orchestra's music director, has said that for the season to begin on time and for the orchestra to be Carnegie-ready, rehearsals will have to begin this week. He has also said that if the Carnegie concerts are canceled, he will resign his position, though his contract runs to 2015. Management already yielded on its Sept. 15 deadline for a settlement, which it had said would be necessary to accommodate Mr. Vanska's wish to be rehearsing this week. Management's current proposal for a three-year contract calls for an annual average salary of $104,500, compared to $135,000 in the expired contract. Michael Henson, the orchestra's president and chief executive, has said he would reduce his compensation package in the same proportion. The proposed contract would give the players a minimum of 10 weeks" paid vacation per year. In addition, the offer includes a onetime signing bonus of $20,000 per player, made possible by funds raised by board members, mainly from Minnesota foundations. "The situation remains very fluid," said Blois Olson, the spokesman for the players. The musicians are trying to present creative alternatives that would save the Minnesota Orchestra and its relationship with Osmo Vanska as we know it. Those alternatives, Mr. Olson added, would include changes in the orchestra's artistic and management structure. Mr. Henson, the president, said on Sunday afternoon, "We have had no direct conversations between our attorneys and theirs, and we have as yet neither heard nor seen those proposals." "We are obviously getting down to the wire," Mr. Henson added. We will continue to negotiate beyond the deadline, but Sept. 30 is a hard deadline for the Carnegie Hall concerts.