Tag Archives: musicians

philly orch players take cuts

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philpic
Philadelphia Orchestra under Charles Dutoit (Chris Lee photo).

The Philadelphia Orchestra’s musicians have agreed to delay a slated 4.8 percent pay raise in their current contract as well as accept the temporary elimination of their Electronic Media Guarantee (EMG) and other work rules and benefits concessions.

Following the trend of other major U.S. orchestras facing financial deficits, the Philadelphia Orchestra announced voluntary cuts yesterday that promise to save $4 million in 2010 and 2011, including a reduction of 4.8 percent in negotiated salary for players.

“For a Big Five orchestra to have voluntary talks about modifying a trade agreement, and to alter the terms of it, shows that the musicians were aware of the financial situation,” a deficit potentially as high as $3 million, “and wanted to do their part to help,” said cellist John Koen, lead negotiator for the musicians.

“They’ve been truly amazing,” said the orchestra’s executive director and chief executive officer, Frank Slattery. “What the musicians did here was pretty heroic, and they did it in a fashion that was as open and as giving as I can imagine.”

Philadelphia Orchestra musicians are known as some of the toughest negotiators in the country, and though yesterday’s vote reportedly was not free of dissension, musicians speaking anonymously confirmed that the attitude was overwhelmingly positive.

In the course of the negotiations, the current contract was extended from three to four years and now will expire at the end of August 2011. That will allow the 4.8 percent raises promised for September to be deferred until the fourth year, beginning in September 2010. The minimum salary then will rise from the current $124,000 to $131,040.

Other cuts included the electronic-media guarantee paid to musicians for recording activities, saving $194,740 annually starting in 2010. Work-rule changes and waived fees for extra concerts will save $265,000 annually in both 2010 and 2011. Pension obligations will be reduced by $1.75 million. The musicians also have pledged to raise $500,000 on their own to contribute to the orchestra’s annual fund. Overall, those factors will reduce musician costs by 10 percent. [via Philadelphia Inquirer]

burning the candle at both ends

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Blair Tindall has an article in today’s Los Angeles Times about musicians who excel in more than one career.  Of interest to me was the appearance of a friend of mine, former OSO principal cellist Margo Tatgenhorst Drakos, who now is Chief Operating Officer of InstantEncore.com, an online source for concert listings, downloads, and streaming audio.

Blasting through stereotypical images of the starving artist, these top studio, symphonic and theater musicians explore multiple passions without compromising their musical integrity. In doing so, they also hedge their bets against the economic downturn that is eroding arts budgets and threatening employment.

“Dual careers are almost always a bonus — both for the income and for the variety and exposure to contrasting environments,” says Barbara Sher, author of the 2006 book “Refuse to Choose: A Revolutionary Program for Doing Everything That You Love.” “And the second job might allow them to use sides of their natures that aren’t expressed as musicians.”

… Manhattan Beach cellist Margo Tatgenhorst Drakos could be a poster child for Sher’s book. A former member of the American String Quartet, Drakos has taught at the Manhattan School of Music, summered at Vermont’s prestigious Marlboro Music Festival and worked as associate principal cellist with the Pittsburgh Symphony.

You’d think that any performer would be content with such a résumé. But in 2008, Drakos also earned a master’s in human rights from Columbia University’s School of International Affairs, and today she works as chief operating officer for instantencore.com, an online service in San Diego linking audiences, performers and music schools, while continuing her performing career.

I couldn’t agree more, and though I don’t have a second career (at least not a paid one), I find that embracing hobbies or avocations that steer away from one’s primary occupation provides an outlet for whatever isn’t being fulfilled in your daily gig, while also providing a theraputic effect in distracting the mind from the pressures and irritants of the daily grind.

musicians and the economy

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I don’t normally pay much attention to what the musical iconoclast Norman Lebrecht writes, but I found some comfort in these uncomfortable times in his most recent column – here’s the relevent paragraph:

Orchestras, too, flourish in depression. London went from one symphony orchestra to three in the post-crash period of 1930-32 and from three to five in the austerity years of 1945-57. In the US, working musicians found comfort in bands and new lines of work in Hollywood studios. No matter how tight the money got, the public demand for music shows an exponential increase whenever financial confidence fails.

The whole column is a pretty fascinating read – find it here.

trial date set for oquist/svendsen case

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For those of you who were friends, colleagues, or acquaintances of Angela Svendsen and Kjersten Oquist, who were killed by a drunk driver driving the wrong way on I-5 on February 12, 2007, you may be interested to know that the trial dates have been set for the defendant, Fivea Sharipoff, who has one prior DUII conviction.

I received this information via Janet George and Kelly Gronli today:

Trial for the accident is set and looks like the date is going to stick. The trial is scheduled for the first week of June. The dates are June 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 and 10. The trial will start each day at 9 AM. The Linn County Courthouse is located at

300 Fourth Ave SW
Albany, Oregon 97321

I don’t know which court room the trial will be in but people will be able to find out if they just look on the sheet at the top of the stairs. This is a small courthouse and the listing will include the defendant’s name, Sharipoff. Parking is on the street and there are many spots a couple of blocks away that you don’t have to pay for. Any support would be greatly appreciated. -this via Kelli Gronli

Note: as many court dates have been in the past have been rescheduled multiple times, every attempt will be made to post any changes here to this current trial schedule as soon as possible.