Topic: Business and Finance

San Antonio Philharmonic Postpones November Concerts, Cites Scheduling Conflicts

Posted on October 24, 2025 by - News Briefs

In Thursday’s (10/23) San Antonio Current (Texas), Sanford Nowlin writes, “The San Antonio Philharmonic has postponed its Classics III concerts, scheduled for the weekend of Nov. 7-8, marking the second time one of the orchestra’s fall events has been rescheduled for a later date. The Catrina Ball—a Dia de los Muertos-themed United Way fundraiser featuring the orchestra at its home base in downtown’s Scottish Rite Cathedral—was also postponed from its Nov. 1-2 dates. The Philharmonic, formed in 2022 from the ashes of the San Antonio Symphony, shared details about the Classics III postponement in a Thursday social media post. The post apologized for the inconvenience but offered no explanation for the change nor projected dates for the new performances. However, Philharmonic Executive Director Roberto Treviño told the Current via phone that the Classics III concerts will now likely take place sometime next year due to a conflict with another event at Scottish Rite…. Treviño said the Nov. 7-8 concerts, which were to feature Carl Orff’s cantata Carmina Burana, were to have involved … the San Antonio Mastersingers and a children’s choir. Given the complexity, the orchestra decided it couldn’t pivot to another venue and keep the same date.”

New Musicians Agreement and Music Director Contract Extension at Quad Cities Symphony

Posted on October 15, 2025 by - News Briefs

In last Tuesday’s (10/7) Our Quad Cities News (Rock Island, Illinois), Linda Cook writes, “The Quad City Symphony Orchestra Association (QCSOA) has announced two landmark agreements that underscore the organization’s commitment to artistic excellence, stability, and community impact: a new four-year collective bargaining agreement with the American Federation of Musicians, Local No. 137, and a six-year contract renewal with Music Director and Conductor Mark Russell Smith … The QCSOA and the American Federation of Musicians … have reached a … four-year collective bargaining agreement, effective July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2029. Previous agreements have traditionally been three years in length, making this extended term a significant milestone … Highlights of the agreement include: annual pay increases totaling 16.30% over the term for all musicians; increased expense reimbursements for musicians; higher guaranteed service minimums offered annually to all musicians; enhanced working conditions and updates to audition, probationary, and tenure processes…. The QCSO has also renewed its contract with Music Director and Conductor Mark Russell Smith for another six-year term, effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2032. This extension will follow his current six-year term, which concludes on June 30, 2026.”

Elgin Symphony on the Rebound, Posts Budget Surplus

Posted on October 14, 2025 by - News Briefs

In Friday’s (10/10) Chicago Tribune, Mike Danahey writes, “The Elgin Symphony Orchestra launches its 76th season this weekend with a solid financial base and a growing audience—far from the near-bankruptcy they faced just four years earlier. CEO Marc Thayer said the ESO ended its fiscal year in June with a $100,000 surplus, despite operating expenses going up more than 4% in the last two years. For the first time in a decade, they ended the year in the black … Thayer became CEO in 2021, taking the helm when the symphony was dire financial shape and knocked for a loop by the pandemic…. A number of factors played a role in improving the symphony’s outlook … They reduced the number of concerts … cut expenses, reduced staff, employed new marketing techniques, and streamlined fundraising to target small groups of donors … ‘The four-year contract agreement (reached with the musicians) demonstrated to our funders that both the administration and the musicians were serious about the long-term success of the orchestra,’ Thayer said…. [The orchestra is] is playing bigger role in the community as well … all of which increases public awareness and emphasizes the ESO’s importance to the city.”

Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony on the Rise with “Resurrection” Season, Two Years After Bankruptcy

Posted on September 30, 2025 by - News Briefs

In Sunday’s (9/28) CBC (Canada), Chloe Kim writes that the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony “filed for bankruptcy in 2023 and abruptly cancelled its season just four days before it was set to begin … Now, two years later, with the bankruptcy filing behind it, the orchestra has launched a new season, organized by the players themselves and a new board of directors. On the road to their return, the musicians took on side jobs, staged free community concerts and fought to bring the symphony back … The K-W Symphony has announced a new season with a fitting theme called ‘Resurrection.’… Violinist Allene Chomyn has been with the orchestra since 2007 and remembers when seasons lasted 38 weeks, with close to 90 performances each season. This time around, there will be 19 performances … When the bankruptcy was announced in September 2023, the entire board also resigned. With no leadership in place, the musicians took matters into their own hands…. Their efforts drew support far beyond Kitchener and Waterloo…. Their proposal to creditors … [resulted] in the annulment of the bankruptcy…. The K-W Symphony’s 2025-2026 season opened on Sept. 13 with Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2, conducted by Andrei Feher, marking the first full season since bankruptcy ended.”

New Contract for Atlanta Symphony Musicians, with Salary Increases and Addition of Two Positions

Posted on September 30, 2025 by - News Briefs

In Monday’s (9/29) Decaturish (Alpharetta, Georgia), Zoe Seiler writes, “The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) and its musicians have announced a new three-year collective bargaining agreement. The musicians are members of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Local 148-462. The agreement includes pay increases of 15 percent over three years, and adds two positions in the orchestra, according to a news release. It also represents a shared commitment to the health and safety of musicians through preserving existing health insurance benefits and overhauling the audition and tenure review procedures. ‘I believe we have a fair new contract that both preserves the ASO’s financial stability and recognizes how much we value our musicians,’ ASO Executive Director Jennifer Barlament said…. Jessica Oudin, president of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Players’ Association, said the musicians are united in their commitment to their audiences and vision for the future of a world-class orchestra. ‘We are thankful to have ratified a progressive and multifaceted contract that speaks to all aspects of our work …,’ Oudin said…. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, led by Music Director Nathalie Stutzmann, offers live performances, media initiatives and learning programs that educate and enrich the community through the power of orchestral music experiences.”

Salary Increases for Tucson Symphony Musicians in New Contract

Posted on September 29, 2025 by - News Briefs

In Friday’s (9/29) Arizona Daily Star, Cathalena E. Burch writes, “Tucson Symphony Orchestra musicians will see their wages rise by 16.3% over the next three years, according to terms of the new collective bargaining agreement between the musicians and the orchestra. The agreement, made public on Friday, also increases the orchestra’s share of musician healthcare premiums by 5% each year through Aug. 31, 2028, according to Alana Wiesing, president of Local 33 of the American Federation of Musicians representing TSO musicians. The orchestra finalized the agreement in early September and was expected to announce it … at Friday’s season-opening concert … Wiesing, now in her seventh season as TSO’s principal timpanist, said she and her colleagues will see their per-service rate go up 4% this year, 5% next and 6.5% in the final year of the three-year agreement. The … agreement levels the playing field for substitute players, restoring their pay rate to equal that of permanent orchestra players…. TSO President and CEO Paul Meecham said the fact that the orchestra was able to elevate musician pay ‘gives you some indication that we feel confident that we can afford to do that. Financially, we’re getting stronger.’… The orchestra early this year received an anonymous $9 million bequest for its endowment fund.”

Musicians at Canada’s Vancouver Symphony Strike Over Contract Terms

Posted on September 29, 2025 by - News Briefs

In Friday’s (9/26) Vancouver Sun (British Columbia), Brieanna Charlebois writes, “Unionized Vancouver Symphony Orchestra musicians have walked off the job, resulting in several show cancellations this weekend. VSO president Angela Elster said in a statement that the company recognizes the right of the musicians to take collective action, but is disappointed about the impact to its audiences. The VSO said the work stoppage means several events will not go ahead this weekend … Audrey Patterson, president of the board of directors for the Vancouver Musicians’ Association union, says the employer’s current offer is a 15-per-cent wage increase over three years, to which the union countered with a 23-per-cent increase over the same term. Vancouver Musicians’ Association Local 145 said … the union’s proposal … was aimed at securing wage increases that ‘would ensure the orchestra remains competitive in attracting and retaining top level musicians.’ The musicians began picketing at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Vancouver at 5 p.m. on Thursday. The union says more than 97 per cent of its members voted in July in favor of job action after its last offer to the employer. Elster says management is ‘eager to negotiate with the musicians’ union.’ ”

Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia to Depart Kimmel Center, Seek New Concert Venue

Posted on September 29, 2025 by - News Briefs

In Saturday’s (9/27) Philadelphia Inquirer, Peter Dobrin writes, “Citing the expense of performing at the city’s largest arts venue, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia announced Friday that it had decided to vacate the Kimmel [Center] after a 24-year run.… Anne Hagan, the group’s executive director, said it had become ‘difficult for us to keep up with payments’ for Kimmel base rent and the other costs of performing there, even though Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts management had been generous in terms of a timetable for making payments. The group had been a resident company at the Kimmel’s Perelman Theater since the arts center’s opening in 2001. POEA released a statement Friday saying it understood that the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia ‘is experiencing challenges that many nonprofit performing arts organizations are facing. Their contributions have enriched our theaters and Philadelphia’s cultural landscape, and we have valued our long and collegial relationship with them…’ The group’s 2025-26 concerts were already planned to be split between the Kimmel and other venues…. David Hayes, the ensemble’s music director, said that the savings will give the group a chance to ‘really work to build community with our audiences in ways we haven’t been able to and take some more artistic risks.’ ”

Philadelphia Orchestra Nears $330 Million Campaign Goal

Posted on September 26, 2025 by - News Briefs

In Thursday’s (9/25) Philadelphia Inquirer, Peter Dobrin writes, “The city’s flagship arts group has notched a major milestone in a remarkable turnaround: Quietly over the last several years, the Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts has raised $305 million toward a $330 million goal, with almost another year to go in the campaign … When the season opens Thursday night in Marian Anderson Hall with pianist Yuja Wang in Ravel, the orchestra will be backed by a new sense of momentum. For one thing, audiences have returned. Attendance has exceeded its pre-pandemic levels, rising from 47% of seats filled by paying patrons in the pandemic-stricken 2021-22 season to 75% in 2024-25. Perhaps just as encouraging, younger audiences … are turning out. Between 2019 and 2024, the number of orchestra listeners 59 and under has increased by 78%. That’s no accident. The orchestra has changed its programming mix to be, essentially, all things to all people…. At the same time, the orchestra continues the Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, and Brahms, as well as works dealing with social justice and climate change. The proceeds of the $330 million campaign are … ‘providing and will continue to provide incredible stability,’ said [President and CEO] Ryan Fleur.”

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Musicians Issue Strike Notice

Posted on September 23, 2025 by - News Briefs

In Tuesday’s (9/23) CBC News (British Columbia, Canada), an unsigned report states, “For the first time in the orchestra’s 107-year history, musicians of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) have issued a strike notice, after months of negotiations over wages. The Vancouver Musicians’ Association (VMA), Local 145 of the Canadian Federation of Musicians, filed the 72-hour notice Monday evening on behalf of the orchestra’s more than 70 members.  That means musicians could walk off the job as early as this week, if no deal is reached with their employer, the Vancouver Symphony Society. VSO musicians have been without a contract since July 1. The union has been in negotiations with the VSO Society since April … Union leaders say they are fighting for competitive pay that would bring them closer to musicians in large orchestras in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa … The union is seeking a 23 per cent wage increase over three years…. The strike could disrupt upcoming high-profile concerts … In an earlier statement to CBC News, Vancouver Symphony Society president and CEO Angela Elster said management remains committed to its players: ‘The VSO has put forward fair and substantial proposals that balance the vital contributions of our musicians with the financial realities unique to our organization.’ ”