Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra: Cuts Now, Raises Later

May 12, 2009 – The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra signed a new contract this month that includes a 9% cut in base wages for symphony musicians.  The base salary of the orchestra will fall from $60,000 a year to $54,600.

Administrative staff members will be required to take 2 weeks unpaid vacation this year, 401(k) contributions have been suspended and the resident conductors have agreed to pay back some of their salaries.

The new contract for the MSO also includes base salary increases for the next 4 years. According to the contract, the orchestra’s base will raise to $63,500 by the 2012-2013 season.

From the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel:

“Since October, when the recession really began to settle in, we started taking steps to realign expenses to match our revenue forecasts,” said Mark Hanson, the orchestra’s president and executive director. “Our goal is to adjust our expense structure without our audience noticing. So far, I think we’re succeeding, because we’re still on track to increase ticket and contributed revenue.”

On the plus side, the MSO has done well at the box office in this 50th anniversary year, which had the added excitement of being the last year for Delfs, the symphony’s popular music director. The MSO also scored a coup in hiring de Waart, a major international name, to take over next season.

Box-office revenue is up $430,000 over last season. Donations beat the previous year, too, but fell short of budgeted goals when the economy stumbled. A big drop in the MSO’s United Performing Arts Fund allocation put the orchestra in a difficult position this spring. Cuts were needed to balance the budget.

Read the full story: MSO musicians accept pay cuts under new contract