A conservative MP, who was called out by a flautist for the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, has accepted her offer to meet and learn “how the music world works.”
Vísir reports that Independence Party MP Vilhjálmur Árnason has accepted flautist Melkorka Ólafdóttir’s invitation to meet her for a cup of coffee, where she hopes to “tell you a bit more about people like me, what we do and what we work for, as well as how the music world works,” as she put it in her open letter to him.
Melkorka’s letter was prompted by recent remarks the MP made in parliament, wherein he compared the monthly salaries of the average female police officer and the average female member of the symphony orchestra. By his figures, the former makes 305,700 ISK per month, while the latter makes 416,960 ISK.
Melkora pointed out that even as a member of the orchestra, she only works part time and seasonally, receiving a salary of just over 105,000 ISK – “just enough to pay for my apartment (although not enough to pay down my student loan).”
Vilhjálmur clarified his remarks today, saying, “The purpose of my words was to create a discussion and make people think.”
The two will meet tomorrow for coffee, but in the meantime, Melkorka also gave the MP an invitation to see the orchestra perform tonight. He and his wife will attend, he said, marking the first time he has watched a performance of the orchestra.
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