“The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra has announced a new three-year collective bargaining agreement with its musicians, and its eighth consecutive year with a balanced budget,” writes Scott Freeman in Tuesday’s (7/5) ArtsATL (Georgia). “The orchestra exceeded its Annual Fund revenue goals, and the symphonic world is abuzz over the appointment of Nathalie Stutzmann as the ASO music director…. The new agreement includes raises for the musicians for the next three years, and increases the portion of the musicians’ salaries that is earmarked for the orchestra’s ‘Behind The Curtain’ virtual concert series and livestreams. It adds progressive parental leave policies…. ‘The musicians of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra worked together with us closely … through the initial phase of the Covid-19 pandemic,’ Jennifer Barlament, the ASO’s executive director, said in a press release. ‘This helped solidify an already strong working dynamic….’ Cellist Daniel Laufer, the chair of the Atlanta Symphony Players’ Association, was part of the negotiating team in 2012 and 2014 [when contract negotiations between management and musicians ended in lockouts]. He called the new agreement ‘a remarkable turnaround’ from 10 years ago [and said it] ‘demonstrates a very important step to help both attract and retain talent on stage.’ ”
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