In Monday’s (8/15) Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Bill Zlatos reports, “Two months after his musicians took a pay cut in their new contract, Manfred Honeck, music director of the financially troubled Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, announced that he will take a 10 percent cut in his salary, effective the start of the 2011-2012 season. ‘I felt the musicians are sacrificing a lot in their most recent contract,’ Honeck said in an interview today. ‘It was a wonderful step by the orchestra. I just wanted to give back also.’ In June, the musicians agreed on a three-year contract that included a 9.7 percent reduction in their base salary over the first two years. The symphony has posted deficits totaling about $3 million in fiscal 2009 and 2010 because of flat attendance and a $1.5 million cut in state money during those two years. ‘It’s quite unusual in this day and age for a music director to voluntarily offer to decrease his salary,’ said Richard P. Simmons, chairman of the symphony`s board. … ‘My admiration and respect for Manfred and the Orchestra continues to increase. I am proud to be associated with them.’ “
Posted August 16, 2011
