“The Virginia Symphony Orchestra announced Friday that it had reached a two-year contract with its musicians,” writes Rashod Ollison in Saturday’s (10/14) Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.) “ ‘The new multiyear contract signals a new level of engagement within the organization,’ VSO board Chairman Steve Test said in a news release. Details of the contract were not disclosed. Musicians agreed to participate in the costs of health care and agreed to a reduction of annual leave in exchange for wage considerations and additional personnel in the second year of the contract, according to a news release from the VSO. The group is looking to raise $2 million by Dec. 31 as part of a $3.6 million campaign for fiscal year 2016. The orchestra covers its $6 million budget through contributions, sponsorships and ticket sales. During contract negotiations four years ago, the orchestra offered its musicians hourly raises but cut its workload by two weeks. The orchestra had been on the verge of bankruptcy two years earlier. The number of players per concert varies with the requirements of the scores. The symphony supplements the core with players under contract for a certain amount of rehearsal or performance time each year.”
Posted October 26, 2015
