“Charlotte Symphony Orchestra management has rightly been praised for getting the orchestra in the black for fiscal year 2013-14, its first time out of the red since 2002,” writes Lawrence Toppman in Monday’s (12/22) Charlotte Observer (North Carolina). “Donors have been acclaimed for stepping up in an hour of need. Now it’s time to congratulate the musicians, who continue to play valiantly under tough conditions and negotiated a three-year contract this fall with concessions that help the orchestra stay on the right path.… The minimum salary for the first year of the new contract is $37,666, up $6,500 from fiscal year 2002-03.… The first year of the new contract—the current season—cuts the paid period to 35.5 weeks…. In year two, they’ll work 35.75 weeks, doing half the education concerts free and giving unpaid time toward a fundraiser…. In the third year, musicians will be back to 37 weeks and will double their unpaid efforts toward another fundraiser.… ‘Revenue has been a problem for a dozen years,’ says [violinist Elizabeth] Pistolesi.… ‘If we can perform and expand revenue, that’s a significant contribution.’ ”
Posted December 23, 2014
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