“A peaceful round of negotiations has yielded a new contract for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra musicians that will carry the orchestra through the 2020-21 season,” writes Bo Emerson in Monday’s (3/5) Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “The new contract will build the ensemble back to full strength and provide built-in salary increases. The old contract was set to elapse in September of this year. Statements from representatives for the musicians and management emphasized the civility of the process leading to the agreement. ‘The musicians of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra are pleased that respectful and productive negotiations resulted in this new contract,’ said cellist Daniel Laufer, chair of the Atlanta Symphony Players’ Association. ASO executive director Jennifer Barlament said in a statement, ‘The team approached this negotiation in a remarkably collegial and collaborative manner, working together towards an achievable compromise that offers both artistic progress and financial sustainability.’ … The orchestra had dropped from 95 to 77 members [in the 2014-15 season].… Currently the orchestra is auditioning players to fill … two open positions, which will bring the orchestra to an agreed-upon strength of 88 positions. The new contract also includes a three percent annual pay increase for the musicians.”
Posted March 6, 2018
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra photo by Jeff Roffman
