The Boston Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Andris Nelsons in a concert at Symphony Hall in 2019. Photo by Elise Amendola
“Boston Symphony Orchestra announced a series of cost-saving measures on Friday, including pay reductions for musicians and furloughs for full-time staffers,” writes Diti Kohli in Friday’s (4/17) Boston Globe. “The news followed a steady stream of BSO concert cancellations due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. First to go was a February tour to Seoul, Taipei, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. Also canceled were the Boston Pops spring season and the last two months of the 2019-20 subscription season…. With a total of 130 events lost between March 12 and mid-June, the BSO reported more than $10 million in revenue losses….. Unionized BSO musicians agreed to salary reductions through the end of August, averaging 25 percent per player. Musicians also restructured vacation time for the next two years [and] tweaked the media rights agreement in their contract, allowing the orchestra to use archival footage during the concert hiatus. Additionally, the organization will furlough 70 full-time staffers starting April 20 through May 31… Four hundred part-time employees were previously furloughed…. BSO President and CEO Mark Volpe also took a 50 percent pay reduction through Aug. 31…. BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons will not be compensated for canceled performances.”
