The Nashville Symphony and the Nashville Musicians Association, AFM Local 257, have announced the ratification of a new contract for the orchestra musicians going into effect Aug. 1, 2021. Under the new three-year contract, the musicians will return to full-time work in September, beginning with a performance of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony on Sept. 11 at Ascend Amphitheater.
Much of the new contract is a modified version of the former agreement which locked in musicians for four years, expiring in 2022. As the Symphony rebounds financially from COVID, the musicians’ annual compensation in the first year will be cut 7% from their salary in the year leading up to the pandemic. In the second year of the new agreement, compensation will return to pre-pandemic levels, followed by a 6.25% increase in the third year, which will nearly return the musicians to the salary level that would have been reached at the end of the former agreement in 2022.
“We are profoundly grateful to the musicians of the Nashville Symphony for their collaboration and cooperation in reaching this agreement,” says Pamela Carter, Chair of the Nashville Symphony’s Board of Directors. “While the past year has been extraordinarily challenging for our entire organization, we recognize that it has been especially difficult for our musicians. This agreement represents the most essential step in the orchestra’s reemergence, as it enables the musicians’ return to the stage, while at the same time ensuring that the Nashville Symphony can remain sustainable and continue to serve our community for generations to come.”
In addition to establishing annual compensation levels, the agreement provides for an immediate lump-sum payment of $7,000 per musician. Other provisions of the agreement provide flexibility to both musicians and management in recognition of the ongoing impacts of the pandemic.
“Musicians have been hit harder than most by the pandemic, and the Nashville Symphony is no exception. Finding a way forward has been extremely difficult for NSO members, who had to shoulder enormous financial burdens with no income for six months and a small fraction of their normal salary since January 2021. Nashville is very fortunate to have this multiple Grammy-winning orchestra, who deserve to be compensated appropriately. We could not have reached this agreement without the hard work of our dedicated Negotiating Committee, who never lost sight of the goal of getting the NSO musicians back to work at a pay level that they can live with,” AFM Local 257 President Dave Pomeroy shares.
The agreement also affirms the Nashville Symphony’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, with the ultimate goal of building an orchestra that is more reflective of Music City. In pursuit of this goal, musicians and management have agreed to update the audition process based on some of the recommendations from the National Alliance for Audition Support, a national initiative to increase diversity in American orchestras. The new provisions will assist the Nashville Symphony in ensuring a fair and equitable process for musicians participating in auditions.
“We are profoundly grateful to our community for its unwavering generosity and support, which has enabled us to reach this point,” comments Nashville Symphony President & CEO Alan D. Valentine. “The Nashville Symphony will once again be able to focus on doing what we do best: providing great music and education programs for the people of Nashville and Middle Tennessee. This agreement will enable the Nashville Symphony to begin its own healing and rebuilding journey, even as we help our community heal through the life-transforming power of music. It also reflects a shared commitment with our musicians to building a bright, vibrant future for our orchestra – one that is even more meaningful for the community we serve.”
Single tickets for the Nashville Symphony’s 2021/22 season go on sale to the public beginning this Friday, July 30.
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