National Symphony Orchestra

Initial Details Of The Cleveland Settlement

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Although comprehensive details in the form of the final agreement language won’t be available for a few weeks or more, some aspects of the new agreement have been made public. Based on information included in a press statement, here’s what can be discerned:

  • Length: 9/2009 (retroactive) – 8/2011; or the 2009/10, 2010/11, and 2011/12 seasons.
  • Compensation: Freeze for the first two years, then a 3% raise in the first half of 2011/12 and an additional 2% raise in the last half.
  • Musicians will not have increased medical insurance premiums (this point was updated @ 9:12am CT).

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Orchestral Acoustics 102: Orchestra vs. Hall

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In a recent blog post, Washington Post music critic, Ann Midgette, posed questions concerning:

  1. what influence a hall’s acoustic response has on orchestral performance technique, and
  2. what effect the 1997 renovation of the Kennedy Center Concert Hall had in improving acoustics onstage and in the audience.

In response to the first, I can report conclusively that orchestras have great flexibility in adapting their playing to different environments. I offer a few anecdotal observations here supporting this contention and also comment on the effect of recent acoustical adjustments at Kennedy Center Concert Hall…

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