"The strike is o'er, the battle won" (sort of)

After three long months, the Fort Worth Symphony strike has ended. While a protracted "negotiation" resulted in nothing, as one party refused to meet (wonder who that was?), federal mediators managed to accomplish the impossible in two days. It didn't hurt that an anonymous donor came forward with $700,000 to help balance the books.

One has to wonder: where was this person hiding all this time? Why didn't orchestra development personnel identify him/her well in advance of this mess? Oh wait, for all intents and purposes the FWSO development office is non-existent--or at least headless, as there have been five (or is it six?) VPs of Development over the past five years.

From what has been released, here's what we know of the four-year contract:

• A wage freeze in years 1 and 2.
• 2% increase in year 3.
• 2-1/2% increase in year 4.
• Eliminate 7 vacation days.

Bass Hall, Fort Worth: $4100 per rehearsal/performance in rent.

The next performance of the FWSO will be on New Year's Eve and the remainder of the season will go forth as originally scheduled.

So, it's over but can it be called a victory for the players? Not really although this is a far cry from Amy Adkins's "last, best, and final offer" presented before the strike began. Still, the organization can take much from this mess:

• The statement announcing the end of the labor dispute, released last night, stated, This agreement was reached after two days of federal mediation and more than a year of good faith bargaining. Focus on the last three words. There was no good faith bargaining because management--time and time again--refused to meet.

• The FWSO pays something to the tune of $4100 in rent every time they open the doors of Bass Hall, whether for concerts or rehearsals. In Dallas? Meyerson Hall is had for $1 per year! Of course, the DSO helped to raise money to build the place while in Fort Worth, the bulk of the money came from the family of  the current Chair of the FWSO Board. Oh.....wait......

Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas (damn gorgeous!)
$1 rent for the whole year!

• As earlier stated, the Development Office is in a shambles. Right now, that is the most important task of the Board, CEO Adkins, and all of the stakeholders of the organization. The economy long ago recovered in Fort Worth. Any statements that "the money isn't there" are patently false. This needs to be fixed or heads need to roll.

And the silent Music Director has finally offered very non-committal platitudes:

"I’m thrilled the strike is resolved,” said FWSO Music Director Miguel Harth-Bedoya. “I can’t think of a more fitting way to celebrate the New Year than with the return of the Orchestra and its wonderful musicians. I will be proud to conduct its return concert on New Year’s Eve. I would like to take this opportunity to say to our community: This orchestra belongs to all of us; it raises our quality of life, it impacts our economy directly and indirectly. I’d like to ask the people of Fort Worth to help the orchestra come back not only strong but stronger than ever."

May it be so, at lease until the next "negotiation".

O TEMPORE! O MORES!

.....from Cicero, First Oration against Catiline.

I've been away from the blog for a few weeks and for a few reasons: first, to slog through the vitriol that flowed from the waning days of the Presidential campaigns, and second, to slog through all the vitriol of the aftermath of November 8. I'm not at all happy with the outcome (there, I said it!) but it is what it is, and all Americans need to hope that this great experiment in democracy will survive.

Speaking of survival:

The website of the Fort Worth musicians reported on October 24:

Despite a return to the negotiation table on Saturday, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra (FWSO) Management has announced today that it is unilaterally canceling concerts through December 31, 2016. This comes after rebuffing Musicians’ repeated offers to collaborate with Management to develop financial solutions to resolve the nearly seven-week-long dispute.

Management is so intent on getting cuts in any way possible; they are now taking it out on the people of Fort Worth directly,” said Musicians Union President Stewart Williams. “In our last meeting, we called upon Symphony President Amy Adkins to stop these cancellations and discuss ways for Musicians and Management to work together, not only to develop new revenue but also to better serve the community. She refused to consider any such options. Instead, she is forcing cuts through cancellations, slashing concert after concert, in reckless disregard for the people the FWSO serves.”

This action, of course, eliminates the highly successful (and lucrative) holiday concerts and assures the un-merriest of Christmases in that city. Oddly enough, an ad for Fort Worth (just the city) popped up on an arts blog I was reading. Their motto--"Cowboys and Culture"--has become only half right. However, the Musicians of the Fort Worth Symphony will offer their own "Fort Worth Family Christmas Concert" on November 27 at the Will Rogers Auditorium, a nearly 3000-seat hall. Conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya is nowhere in sight.

Will Rogers Auditorium: a bit bland but it used to be adequate for the FWSO.

The orchestra has not led an endowment campaign since 2000; the development office is in shambles (five VPs in five years) and Management insists there is no money to be found, even though there has been a 30% uptick in the economy since the draconian 13.5% salary cuts in 2011. An important note includes the efforts of the Fort Worth Opera, which, in three months this past summer raised over $1 million dollars and doubled its donor base. There is money in Fort Worth--lots of it. BUT, those donors are not going to donate to what appears to be "Management without Music."

I'll say it again: CEO Amy Adkins is out of her element; her unwillingness to even acknowledge the collaborative efforts of the musicians further demonstrates her administrative myopia.

AND, one must not forget the gold-digging Board Chair, Mercedes Bass, who left her first husband because he wasn't rich enough (and 27 years her senior), for her second, the son of one of the wealthiest men in America. Forbes estimated Sid Bass's net worth at $2.1 billion. Before their divorce, she'd done an excellent job of spending Sid's fortune, even donating $25 million to the Met. She has the dough to right the ship (the Dallas News estimated the settlement to be $300 million) Of course, the Fort Worth Symphony is not nearly as high-profile as anything in New York City. (other sources: NY Post and NY Times)

MEANWHILE IN PITTSBURGH:

The same slash and burn philosophy holds true in the city of three rivers, which has morphed itself from a rust belt steel town to one of technology and culture (and great brewpubs!). But, "cancel, cancel, cancel" is management's solution to whatever perceived problem exists (PSI-Pittsburgh Symphony, Incorporated refuses to release the 2015-16 financials). This much is known:

• $33.03 million = Total expenses in 2015, lower than either of the two previous years.

• $21.2 million = 2015 contributions, an increase of some $13 million from 2014.

• $124.1 million** = Endowment net assets, 2015.

**does not include assets held in trust by others, or the “1963 endowment” (which holds approximately $10 million in assets and provides ~$600,000 in operating support to the PSO annually. The PSI does not include the income from the 1963 endowment in its budgeting forecasts, for reasons that have never been explained to the Musicians.)

So it's the same old story: concerts canceled, management refusing to negotiate. On some of the latest news, check out this article from the Post-Gazette. The accompanying photo is, in a word, priceless!

And, of course, Manfred Honeck is nowhere to be seen. He--not Board of Trustees Chair Devin McGranahan nor CEO Melia P. Tourangeau--is the public face of the organization and should be leading negotiations in Pittsburgh instead of flying to his next gig.

A lot of GOOD THINGS are happening in the arts world.

Scott Chamberlain in his blog, The Mask of the Flower Prince, pointed out a list supplied by ISCOM Chair Bruce Ridge enumerating the good news from member orchestras.

• The Atlanta Symphony announced that it ended the season with a surplus, and raised $13 million 
• The Arizona Opera exceeded its fundraising goals
• The Buffalo Philharmonic saw record season ticket sales and subscription revenues for the third consecutive year
• The Charlotte Symphony received a $2 million gift
• The Cincinnati Symphony raised over $26 million and signed a new contract that adds 15 new musicians over the next five years

Packing the seats in Cincinnati

• The Dallas Symphony achieved a balanced budget and received a $5 million gift
• The Detroit Symphony raised $1.4 million in one evening
• The Houston Grand Opera exceeded its fundraising goal, raising almost $173 million
• The Houston Symphony received a $5 million donation, the largest gift in nearly a decade
• The Indianapolis Symphony saw ticket sales increase 15%, and subscriptions rose 24%.
• The Memphis Symphony received a $1 million gift for education programs
• The Minnesota Orchestra received $6 million in special gifts and embarked on a historic tour to Cuba

• The Nashville Symphony set fundraising and ticket sales records
• The Omaha Symphony saw record attendance
• The Oregon Symphony set records for ticket sales and contributions, and its gala raised a record $700,000
• The Pacific Symphony’s gala raised a record $1.6 million
• The Richmond Symphony received a $1 million gift for outdoor concerts
• The Rochester Philharmonic reported a 19% increase in single ticket sales
• The St. Louis Symphony received a $10 million gift
• The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra saw its highest attendance in 20 years

In addition, I've previously reported substantive raises given by the Kansas City Symphony on a five-year contract settled a year early!

The Detroit Symphony is revamping its recital hall, thanks to a $3.5 million gift. Detroit? Yes, that Detroit.

"The Cube" Detroit Symphony Orchestra Hall

The Dallas Symphony, right next door to striking Fort Worth, has balanced its budget and is reaping a bounty of dollars in both its annual fund and long-term commitments.

Scott knows what he's talking about as he is a longtime resident of the Twin Cities, which went through its own well-publicized nightmare. There, an entrenched Board of Directors, aided and abetted by local media, allowed an inept CEO to hold the organization hostage. That the Minnesota Orchestra has so quickly rebounded, artistically and financially, is a testament to the spirit of its people and especially the vision of Osmo Vanska.

The story sounds all too familiar because that's what's happening in Fort Worth and Pittsburgh. The respective Boards just continue to cancel programs and refuse to negotiate at all. It's all in the "last, best, and final offer" mentality. There are certainly more and better solutions, but all sides have to at least sit and talk. No one really wants the music to stop for, if it's gone long enough, some might forget it was ever there.

FALLING DOMINOS

....Orchestras continue to fall. This story from Pittsburgh:

Pittsburgh Symphony musicians go on strike, concerts canceled

Management of the venerable orchestra predicts that the combined deficit of the organization will reach $20 million (it currently sits at $11 million). The tried and true solution? Balance the books on the backs of the people making the music (aren't they the people that audiences come to hear?), to the tune (pun intended) of a 15% salary decrease. The ham-handed proposal also includes a "hard freeze" of the pension plan (replaced by a 401k for those with less than 30 years of service) and a reduction in the size of the ensemble. This sounds all too familiar.

Negotiations began in February and got nowhere, ending in the work stoppage. Ten days of effort by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (which succeeded in the Metropolitan Opera near-fiasco a year ago) failed to produce an agreement between the parties.

A story reported by Mark Kanny of Tri Total Media stated, “When new management stepped in at the Pittsburgh Symphony, we undertook a diagnostic situation assessment that caused us to realize that we are facing an imminent financial crisis. That assessment showed that, due to a combination of forces, we would run out of cash and have to close the doors in May/June 2017,” said board chairman Devin McGranahan in a prepared statement. McGranahan and president Melia Tourangeau took office in 2015. 

What combination of forces?

Despite a history dating back to 1898 (except for a 16-year lapse) and world-class conductors such as Fritz Reiner, William Steinberg, Lorin Maazel, and Mariss Jansons, the management is just now figuring out that there may be a financial problem?

Interestingly enough, in one of her first interviews after arriving in Pittsburgh, Tourangeau said, “the priority is to get to a balanced budget. I feel there has been a tremendous amount of cost-cutting that has taken place. In my opinion, we have a revenue problem, not an expense problem.”
Norman Lebrecht, with whom I sometimes agree, offers this assessment, Management’s refusal to compromise clearly is ideological. New PSI Management has decided, against all evidence, that Pittsburgh somehow cannot support a world-class orchestra, and that a “new business model” is needed. This makes no sense. In 2016, the PSO’s Annual Fund hit a record; ticket sales are up; the Pittsburgh economy is dynamic; the Cultural District is thriving. This is no time for the PSI to abandon the idea that Pittsburgh deserves a world-class orchestra.

If ticket revenue is up and the Annual Fund is at record levels, show me the money.

* * * * * * * * * *

No one is budging in Fort Worth, where the orchestra has been on strike through most of September. The Star-Telegram published an incendiary editorial on September 12 and there has been no reporting of the rebuttal by the musicians (summarized here):

We (the FWSO musicians) just ask you to consider the following as you decide for yourself about fiscal responsibility. Is the FWSO Management being fiscally responsible when they:

• Fall short on raising enough money to pay the musicians?
• Use a contingency fund every year to cover operating costs?
• Ignore professional advice to expand the fundraising department?
• Have a new Vice-President of Development every year?
• Don’t have a Strategic Plan past the year 2017?

It is obvious that CEO Amy Adkins is out of her element. Development is the most important issue facing the orchestra. The fact that Development V-Ps last an average of one year says something about management at the top.

Little has been said of Board Chair Mercedes Bass, who also serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee of the Carnegie Hall Corporation as well as Managing Director of the Board of Trustees and Executive Board of the Metropolitan Opera (to which she donated $25 million in 2006. And there's more, including a role with the Aspen Music School (member of the Advisory Board), the Aspen Institute (trustee), and Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee and a member of the Board of Trustees of the American Academy in Rome. After divorcing state department official Francis L. Kellogg in 1988 and marrying Texas billionaire Sid Bass, that marriage ended in 2011, but the settlement left her well off.

Her Fort Worth home
(She also has residences in Colorado and New York City)

The Fort Worth concert hall her in-laws built

She could solve the orchestra's finances with a check out of her pin money account, without cutting into more high-profile gifts to a Lincoln Center opera company.

* * * * * * * * * *

COULD PHILLY FALL (Again?)

Calling management's latest offer "regressive", musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra are none too happy either. Once part of the venerable "Big Five" of American ensembles (according to budget size), Philly now sits at number 8, and musician salaries continue to fall further behind their colleagues in cities like Boston. 

The contract has already expired and something (or someone) has to move. CEO Allison Vulgamore's track record is not strong (note her previous "service" in Atlanta). The 2011 bankruptcy still looms large, especially for an organization that maintained a $140 million endowment, owned (and still owns) the Academy of Music, and had no debts! Huh?

The Philadelphia Academy of Music (1857)
And nothing wrong with the acoustics
http://www.totaltheater.com/?q=node/467

The musicians note in their September newsletter:

Although the filing in April 2011 was opposed by the musicians, the public was told that it was a necessary step and that when the Orchestra emerged from bankruptcy, things would be much better.

When the court approved the bankruptcy, the Association made wholesale changes to our pension plan. The Plan was frozen and its administration was transferred to the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation, a U. S. government entity. Some musicians may receive lower pensions than they would have earned under the frozen Plan. The retirement benefits which were substituted for the Plan do not guarantee the benefit level specified in the Plan. In addition, the orchestra musicians, who had voluntarily taken a wage freeze the year before, and who had donated a significant amount of money to the Association, saw their salaries reduced by more than 14 percent. The size of the orchestra was also reduced, from 106 full-time positions to 95.

The Association, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Peter Dobrin, spent “almost $10 million in professional fees and expenses” on the bankruptcy, and paid settlements of $1.75 million to the American Federation of Musicians Pension Plan, and $1.25 million to the Philly Pops in the process.

More than five years later, Musicians hoped that the Association would view the bankruptcy as a temporary means to regroup and ultimately restore the kind of budget that is necessary to fund a major symphony orchestra, rather than as a way to downgrade the musicians' contract permanently. More than five years later, we are still waiting.

* * * * * * * * * *

Contract talks at the Pacific Symphony (budget $20 million) have halted. Musicians’ Bargaining Committee Chairperson Adam Neeley states, “The Pacific Symphony is the only professional orchestra in the United States with any significant annual budget that does not provide a weekly wage or annual guarantee of wages to its musicians.” Neeley states further, “Musicians have no predictability of their income from week to week, month to month or year to year.”

* * * * * * * * * *

Who is next?

One person making a difference

In comparing the contractual problems of the Ft. Worth Symphony and those past in Atlanta and Minneapolis (the Minnesota Orchestra), there are striking similarities: entrenched management and board-controlled media come to mind. Of course, both Atlanta and Minnesota ended in ugly and extended lockouts. However, in both cases there was a major difference.

Donald Runnicles and Robert Spano
(photo Jeff Roffman)

In Atlanta, Music Director Robert Spano AND Principal Guest Conductor Donald Runnicles both spoke out on the side of the players. Their joint letter to the ASO management said, in part, “We ask the board and management to acknowledge the sacrifice the musicians have already made, and to examine other ways and areas to establish sustainability.” Spano went one step further in an interview with the Washington Post, "This is not a normal labor dispute. “This is a question of whether Atlanta wishes to preserve its legacy of having a great orchestra or having a minor league orchestra. It’s not a question of payroll or health care or anything else. It’s a question of: Will Atlanta remain an important, major league orchestra?"

Osmo Vanska

Finnish conductor Osmo Vanska, Music Director of the Minnesota Orchestra, went one step further: he resigned after that orchestra's lockout had lasted a year (it would eventually eat up 16 months). During that time, he came back to lead "The Musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra" in three sold-out concerts (only two were originally scheduled). When the dust had finally settled, the New York Times reported:

He (Vanska) served an ultimatum, threatening that if the lockout were not lifted in time for the current season, he would resign; as good as his word, he did. He conducted the locked-out players in concerts that they themselves organized. And he engaged in what some have called slash-and-burn tactics, dropping little verbal bombshells aimed especially at the president, Mr. Henson, essentially demanding his resignation.

Even now, he says that he and Mr. Henson “are not going to work together” in the four months that remain of Mr. Henson’s tenure. Mr. Henson said, “I will continue to collaborate with colleagues in whatever way best serves the organization in the months ahead.”

Does Mr. Vanska regret any of those tactics?

“I felt then, and the feeling is still strong,” he said, “that the orchestra needed me and I needed the orchestra.”

He finds positive aspects in the current situation: “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” More people know about the orchestra than ever did before, he said, and the players have learned some of what they can accomplish through their own resources.

“It will take time to rebuild,” Mr. Vanska said, “but it might be a surprisingly short time.”

“Maybe this had to happen to give us the idea that we must find something,” he added, “some way to work together.”

Note: Vanska returned to the helm and recently led the orchestra in a highly-touted European tour.

This is leadership, in both cases from the public face of the organization. Stakeholders outside the organization care little about Boards and budgets; they care about the music and the people making it.

As for Fort Worth Music Director Miguel Harth-Bedoya? Silence...

JUST WHEN IT COULDN'T GET WORSE....

This city ought to be able to afford its orchestra

The contract turmoil surrounding the Fort Worth Symphony has reached a new low. As previously reported here, news stories from the Star-Telegram have been slanted toward management. Now, a highly provocative editorial has appeared on those same pages:

Several very smart and dedicated people have worked for more than a year on a new labor agreement between the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Association and its musicians, aiming to continue world-class symphonic music performances begun more than a century ago.

It hasn’t worked. The musicians have gone on strike, and the orchestra’s season-opening performances last weekend were canceled....

The musicians, represented by Local 72-147 of the American Federation of Musicians, are still smarting from a 13.5 percent pay cut they accepted in 2010 to help the FWSO weather the effects of the Great Recession. (Wasn't the nation in the midst of an economic comeback by 2010?)

While frequent references to that cut might help gain public sympathy, that money is gone and won’t come back.

The union negotiating committee worked with association managers and a federal negotiator to develop a new contract offer. Although the committee recommended approval, the musicians rejected it “overwhelmingly,” union representatives said.

The two sides portray the numbers differently, but the rejected four-year contract contained pay cuts in the first year followed by slight increases in later years, putting the musicians a little above their current salaries — which average $62,000 plus health benefits — by the fourth year.

It’s hard to imagine that such an offer, or something very much like it, isn’t the best the musicians can get. Still, they’ve made their position clear.

These smart and dedicated people could be talking about the end of the FWSO.

Is the editorial implying that the musicians are the "smart and dedicated people"? Management all to easily forgets that stakeholders (i.e. the butts in the seats) come to concerts to hear the music. Give them a quality product and they'll be there. Expand outreach beyond the "usual suspects" in the donor pool, and the funds will be forthcoming.

Gary Wortel

Something that is missing in this one-sided media war (circus?) is an important fact: Star-Telegram Publisher Gary Wortel is a member of the FWSO Board of Directors. So, just like we saw in Minnesota so few short years ago, the Board controls the local media......but not all of it.

The Dallas Morning News has offered a much more comprehensive look at the situation. While reiterating the company line, it has offered a different perspective from the side of the musicians themselves:

After years of cuts and irresponsibly refusing to bargain further, the future of the FWSO is now at stake. The musicians continue to call on management to return to the bargaining table in the interest of coming to an agreement and ensuring the orchestra's very existence.

We want our audiences and the citizens of Fort Worth to know how much we regret that we are forced to take this extreme step," said Julie Vinsant, a bassist and member of the musicians' negotiating committee. "We call on our management to come back to the table so that we can continue providing great music for our great city. We are very thankful for your continuing steadfast support....

Read the entire article for the whole story.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/editorials/article101444512.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/editorials/article101444512.html#storylink=cpy

THE BAD, THE WORST, AND THE UGLIEST

Recently I chronicled happenings in three American orchestras, noting that life was good in San Diego (with the best weather in the U.S., it would be hard to beat), rumblings were coming out of Pittsburgh, and the situation in Fort Worth? It hasn't gotten any better. Here's an update:

In Pittsburgh:

Life for symphony musicians in the City of Three Rivers (and big changes from the days of Big Steel) hasn't improved. The orchestra is stilled mired in million dollar + deficits and the orchestra's contract expired a week ago. Since then, things have seemed eerily quiet. Judging by recent history in the overall business (think Atlanta, Minnesota), this is definitely not a good sign.

Pittsburgh, where the Pirates are mired in 3rd place and the orchestra?
It is a gorgeous view, however.

In Philadelphia (what? again?)

The once-great ensemble (remember Stokowski and Ormandy) limped out of its 2011 bankruptcy proceedings with hope for the future. That hasn't happened. Peter Dobrin reports in the Inquirer, Musicians and management of the Philadelphia Orchestra Friday agreed to continue talking for an unspecified period of time beyond the end of the current labor deal, which had been set to expire at 12:01 a.m. Sept 12.

Management had offered no raise for two years and a mere one percent in each of the following three. As of now, no further negotiating sessions are scheduled, but the two sides seem amenable to a "play and talk" agreement for the immediate future. Personally, I trace the orchestra's financial problems to at least three areas:

Philadelphia's Academy of Music

• The orchestra formerly performed in the historic Academy of Music. Frowned on for less than favorable acoustics (although Stokowski and Ormandy seemed to make them work), the flashy, new Kimmel Center was built down the street. It's important to note that the orchestra, instead of being the landlord, is now a tenant. That cannot be financially prudent in difficult times.

• Management. The current CEO is Alison Vulgamore, she who left the Atlanta Symphony in shambles before skipping town. How does this continue to happen? Beats me.

• The fall-out from the Eschenbach years. The orchestra took a great slide in overall quality during the music directorship of Christoph Eschenbach. The infusion of exciting conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin hasn't been enough to reverse the trend and bring back the faithful.

Fort Worth: On Strike

The musicians called management's bluff of its "last, best offer" of continued cuts and went against the recommendation of its union and went on strike at 12:30 PM Thursday. While the players seemed willing to play and talk, management (that is, out-of-her-element CEO Amy Adkins) went ahead and canceled opening-weekend concerts.

Management is also attempting a war of words in the press: The orchestra employs 65 full-time musicians with an average salary of $62,000 and health benefits. The proposed contract that musicians rejected included a significant pay cut in the first year and then small, incremental pay raises in the following three years. By the fourth year, the pay increases would have resulted in principal players being paid more than $70,000 a year. (From the Post-Telegram)

Unfortunately, this isn't true. Base salary under a new agreement would be $54K. Mentioning principal player's salaries (which are normally negotiated separately) is an unprofessional way of ingratiating the public. We pay $70K a year! Isn't that a lot of money? One has to wonder what the CEO (the former Development Director) is paid some $167K, according to the organization's most recent IRS 990 form (2014).

The basic problem is a simple one. Fort Worth has burned through at least five development VPs since Adkins (herself in that role for 11 years) in the past six years. Leadership is needed in this all-important area; the buck does stop at the top.

Interestingly enough, the Musicians of the Fort Worth Symphony (under that title) are performing next weekend with the local ballet. They have contracted themselves under the terms of the former contract with the orchestra. That little bit of goodwill should go a very long way.

Coming soon: the 2016-17 Quad City Wind Ensemble Season

CORRECTION: The local newspaper is the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/entertainment/arts-culture/article100625872.html#storylink=c

The Good, the Bad, and the Unknown

First, the good:

The San Diego Symphony, California's oldest at 106 years, announced a new five-year contract with its musicians. The average salary will raise from $70,000 to $80,000 over the length of the agreement. “We agreed to a contract structure,” noted CEO Martha Gilmer, “that respects the musicians of the orchestra and creates the best working atmosphere for their artistic growth while exploring new opportunities to strengthen the orchestra’s financial future. I could not be happier with the result, and feel that we have developed greater understandings that will enhance our working life together.” (reported in the San Diego Union Tribune).

While the upcoming season will be the last from Music Director Jahja Ling, the orchestra is in the midst of a worldwide search and is embarking on an ambitious plan of improvements to its outdoor concert venue.

Bayside Performance Center (foreground)

Up close

The bad:

The Pittsburgh Symphony is the second Pennsylvania orchestra (Philadelphia went through bankruptcy proceedings in 2011) to experience serious financial problems. President Malia Tourangeau tells the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that the organization is at a "critical crossroad" after a $1.5 million deficit to close out the recent fiscal year. The orchestra's pension fund needs $10.4 million in the next five years.

The Symphony has only recently begun multi-year financial planning. “I was equally as surprised as everyone else when we did this 3-5 year projection and saw our cash obligations,” Ms. Tourangeau said. “In fact, I was a bit stunned to see what I was charged to turn around.”

AND, of course, the current contract expires on August 4. This does not bode well.

Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh

And the unknown:

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that the symphony and the musicians, embroiled in a protracted labor dispute, reached a tentative contract agreement that still needs to be approved by the musicians. No details have been forthcoming.

On Fort Worth....On Hartford.....

Who is going to save it?

Just some brief notes:

Check out the terrible news about U.S. Armed Forces musicians here.

Here are the facts, as published by the Musicians of the Fort Worth Symphony, AND one individual musician's take on all of the "dis-chord" on the ground. It is more than painfully obvious that management is making little effort in development.

In Hartford, Steve Collins has been named Executive Director, ending the very odd arrangement in which the Landlord was also CEO of the symphony. That at least lends more transparency to the organization. Of course, the organization still remains strapped for cash, AND they just created an Assistant Conductor position! Go figure....

There's less than good news out of Baltimore. I'm digging into that.

There is also some good news out there. For example:

• In Detroit, cash for every musician.

• In Kansas City, endowing the Assistant Conductor position.

Ft. Worth Nears (Another) Deadline

In early February, I passed on reports that the Fort Worth Symphony Association would not proceed with its "concessionary contract" which would have decreased musician salaries by 8%. That agreement was slated to expire (pretty basically) now. Headway since then? Nothing.

In March, musicians staged a sit-in at the symphony's offices. The local CBS affiliate reported that  the musicians said on Monday, (March 20) management cancelled three scheduled negotiation sessions, without offering alternate dates. “This recklessness, lack of good faith, and dereliction of duty on management’s part cannot be tolerated,” the statement read.

On July 1, the Association published a lengthy "Update and FAQ" section on the orchestra's website. Noting that the current agreement ends July 31, this seems a bit late in the game. Also, several statements go out of their way to paint the musicians as petty.

• In answer to past salary cuts, the statement notes, During the recession, the musicians accepted salary reductions in 2010, and the staff endured layoffs and pension freezes. Since that time, musicians have received increases in wages and benefits in 2012, 2014, and 2015 totaling approximately 5.5%. Of course, this does not mention that the 2010 reductions totaled 13.5%. They are still 8% below 2009 levels. Further cuts put the players further behind.

• The proposed cuts amount to an 8.7% cut in total wages. Further, given the rising cost of healthcare, we are seeking to move from paying 93% of insurance premium downward to 85% – still very competitive among comparable orchestras. Even with these changes musician salaries would remain competitive with orchestras of similar budgets.

• What is the Union asking of the FWSOA?  The Union Negotiating Committee dismisses the current economic conditions and continues to put forth demands for nearly $1 million in increased salaries and benefits over the next three years. They have also submitted more than 50 non-economic “work rule” requests, and we have reached agreement of many of these issues.

• How difficult would it be to meet the musicians’ demands? The demands would create an accumulated deficit of $3 million in the next 36 months. The Orchestra Association simply cannot fund what the Union Negotiating Committee has demanded.  This plainly doesn't add up. When does $1 million over three years equal a $3 million deficit.

The Musicians offered their own lengthy Response to FAQ on their website. They insist that management hasn't done its job in generating new donors and dollars. It doesn't help that the organization has employed four (or is it 6?) development directors in five years. The development staff is also quite small, employing only three members (with no executive in charge) when similar-sized orchestras have staffs 2-3 times that large.

Ft. Worth's V-P of Development

A few more nuggets:

Musicians of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Facts:
●  With the proposed cuts, the FWSO would rank 32nd in salary amongst the country’s top 50 orchestras.  The FWSO musicians' salary would equate to the salary in 2003.
●  Under the management’s proposal, FWSO musicians would earn $42,000 less than a Dallas Symphony musician, and $20,000 below the national average of 50 of the country’s top orchestras.
●  Seniority and overtime are negligible, totaling about $500 per year for only the most senior members of the orchestra.

While the orchestra insists that its health benefit package is "competitive", the real numbers tell a different story:

●  The combination of reduced individual coverage and ZERO family coverage puts the FWSO at the BOTTOM of plans offered by the country’s top 50 orchestras.  
●  This past season, it cost $1746 per month to insure a family on the FWSOA health plan.

It is plainly obvious that these two sides are far apart in reaching any kind of agreement. It can only end ugly.

Management backs down (for now anyway) in FW

The latest reports from Fort Worth indicate that management will not be implementing its "concessionary" contract, a move originally intended to take place on Monday the 25th. This has been gleaned from yesterday's Star-Telegram, which is now mysteriously nearly hidden behind a paywall. The news has not been confirmed by any other sources.

Neither side has offered any definitive comment on the issue. It seems more than a bit strange that CEO Amy Adkins has remained mum.

I suppose that odder things have happened.

Jaap van Zweden
He must use Gergiev's razor...

In other Texas news, Dallas Symphony Conductor Jaap van Zweden has been appointed the next Music Director of the New York Philharmonic. He is best known (or loathed) for his meticulous and demanding rehearsal style. While this seems an "out of left field" choice, may van Zweden is just what the NYPO needs.

If you can't "do....." A (partial) tale of the mess in FW

Seriously, how did the Fort Worth Symphony get to this point? Players are up in arms about another pay cut. Management is insistent that it needs to happen in order to keep the organization solvent (no talk of a lock out, but the player's union has authorized a strike--if it comes to that.)

Detroit in 2010, could be anywhere today...

2010 wasn't really a great year for symphony orchestras in the U.S. The Cleveland Orchestra stuck early that year when negotiations broke down. In the fall, the Detroit Symphony was just starting what would become a near-crippling walk out. And the autumn began in silence as the musicians of the Fort Worth Symphony imposed, according to Front Row D magazine, a warning to orchestra management that the musicians were united in their opposition to cuts proposed during their contract renewal talks.

In November, musicians gave in to a very large pay cut of nearly 14%. At that time, FWSOA President Ann Koonsman (who would serve less than one year more) said, With this new agreement, the musicians are accepting a decrease in pay. None of us are pleased about that, and I ask the community to step forward and to increase their support of the Orchestra. The players were led to believe that management would step up its development efforts in order to restore what they had given away. Unfortunately....

Ann Koonsman, gotta love the pose....

In 2010, the head of development (that's the person directly in charge of raising donor dollars) was Amy Adkins. She was rewarded for her bang up job with a promotion--to the President's position! Yes, you read that correctly: the person who didn't raise enough money to balance the budget would become the head of the whole organization. In fact, she was the only person considered for the job, having been basically crowned by the outgoing CEO, Ms. Koonsman. Let's not even get into someone hiring their replacement...

One has to wonder a bit about Ms. Adkins, of whom it was said (again in Front Row, January 28, 2011), The Board of Directors is thrilled to announce Amy’s appointment as president and CEO. Her longtime dedication to the Orchestra, her love of music, and her ability to form relationships with key supporters makes her the perfect fit. Amy’s knowledge of orchestral management combined with her superb fundraising talents will ensure that the Orchestra has a bright future.

Knowledge of orchestral management? Where did that come from? Here's the backstory, as chronicled by Ms. Adkins herself (in a Front Row story from August):

She started college as a piano performance major at Texas Tech University, where she met her future husband, Alton Adkins. But while on a trip to visit a friend in New York City when she was 20 years old, Adkins took a little personal tour of the famed Juilliard School of Music that changed the course of her career.

"I remember hearing the level of playing coming out of those Juilliard rooms," she recalls. "I realized that I just wasn't at that level and that a performance career was not going to be for me." So let's get this right: is this an example of "if you can't do..."

And just like that, Adkins shifted her major from performance to music education. With her freshly minted education and music certification degree in hand, she began to teach music and choir in the Duncanville school district. After two years of teaching, Adkins was emotionally and physically spent. But she couldn't handle teaching after two whole years? (Sorry, I've been in the profession for 30. Every day is a joy.)

Enter Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, which, in the summer of 1993, engaged Adkins' husband as a French horn player. Alton Adkins has been with the orchestra ever since.

By 1995, Adkins had joined the orchestra as its education coordinator. Eventually, Adkins would take on the more influential position of development director, where she thrived. Thrived so well that the players took a huge pay cut right before she assumed control.

DFW International, one of the world's busiest

Granted, in 2010 the nation was coming out of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.  That said, the orchestra had a successful endowment campaign completed in 2008. Then there's Rick Perry's "Texas Miracle." Godsend or not, Texas was not hit as hard by the recession as the rest of the country. The price of a barrel of crude reached its lowest point in 2009, when it was $53.48. A year later, that same price had risen to over $71. The entire state was in a growth pattern which has yet to abate.

Since 2000, Fort Worth has been the fastest growing city in the U.S. The nation's 16th largest city, it is part of the number one tourist destination in Texas. Some 6.5 million people annually visit the Dallas-Fort Worth area. WalletHub has called it the number 1 city for finding a job. Visit the FW Chamber of Commerce website; Fort Worth, by all measures, is a happening place....

Fort Worth skyline: not just a cow town anymore...

By all measures except what it pays its orchestra. It's obvious that the blame must rest with management. They were given a huge concession in 2010. Five years later (this mess has been going on since last summer) management has demanded (there has never been any "asking") for more.

The buck stops at the top.