Charleston’s Post and Courier reported this week that the musicians and management of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra have agreed to a new contract. The orchestra is hopeful that the new agreement will allow the orchestra to remain in business during what has been described as the worst fiscal crisis in the organizations 72-year history.
The Charleston Symphony Orchestra is a member of the Regional Orchestra Players Association (ROPA) and the American Federation of Musicians (AFM).
From the article:
The arrangement comes after long and tenuous negotiations that caused frustration among musicians who said efforts to raise funds and generate revenues should take precedence over budget and personnel cuts. But a collision between problems in the organization and a severe economic downturn prompted both sides to negotiate a solution.
To stabilize the future of the CSO, the musicians will take an 11.4 percent annual pay cut for the 2008-09 season and another pay reduction of 25.1 percent for 2009-10, Debra Sherrill, leader of the musician-formed Keep the Music Playing Committee, said in a statement. This would bring the musicians’ average annual salary to about $17,000.
Read the whole story: Musicians, staff agree to ‘sacrifice’
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