When Orchestra And Chorus Policies Collide

It was bound to happen. An orchestra’s guidelines requires as much masking for on stage musicians as possible. A chorus that operates as a separate entity has a different policy and refuses to wear masks. As a result, any works that require a chorus are removed from the program. An article by Peter Dobrin in the 8/19/2022 Philadelphia Inquirer reports on this exact scenario and to make matter even stickier, it …

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Looking To The Past When Thinking About The Philly Orch-Kimmel Center Not-A-Merger

On 6/17/21 The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center announced the organizations were “uniting under a new parent company”. Before we dive too deep into the weeds, it’s worth noting that one of the key figures involved here is Anne Ewers, Kimmel Center president and CEO. If that name sounds familiar within the context of merges, you have a good memory because Ewers was the driving force behind the Utah Symphony and Opera …

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Is There A Way To “Win” Baltimore’s Labor Dispute?

Out of the gate, it’s fair to mention that in a labor dispute as contentious as the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s (BSO), there are no “winners,” only shades of loss. Events this week have demonstrated the executive leadership appear to be dug in for the long haul and the musicians have responded in kind. If nothing else, the post economic downturn era has provided some clear patterns on how things may develop. …

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Top-Tier Musician Compensation 2019

It’s time to revisit base musician compensation levels at the top eight highest paying orchestras. For a number of these orchestras, the 2018/19 season marks the end of their existing collective bargaining agreement (CBA). In each of those instances, the outcomes will have a large impact on what many orchestra musicians consider their organization’s ability to compete for the best on-stage talent. We’ve been tracking these values since the 2009/10 season …

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Negotiating Yourself Into A Corner

Adaptistration People 100

The recent Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) strike is an excellent example of something that demonstrates how much the work stoppage PR landscape has shifted over the past decade. For example, one of the strongest musician talking points is the deleterious impact concessions have on an orchestra’s ability to attract and retain the very best artistic talent. This was a cornerstone of the CSO musician position: If the employer does away with …

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