Annapolis Symphony Orchestra musicians and symphony employees now have annual wage increases and a new harassment policy that also covers volunteers under a new three-year contract.
The symphony and the Musicians’ Association of Metropolitan Baltimore announced the new collective bargaining agreement Monday which followed the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s heated labor dispute and financial crisis last week. The BSO’s dispute resulted in a lockout— the first work stoppage at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in three decades.
The Annapolis Symphony Orchestra’s contract also includes a process for hiring musicians as faculty in the Annapolis Symphony Academy, which just finished its first year. In addition to a 3% increase in base pay in each year of the contract, musicians in titled positions will get additional increases.
Mary Plaine, the primary union officer representing both Annapolis and Baltimore’s symphony orchestras, said the harassment policy was a proactive effort in the era of the #MeToo movement, not in response to any incidents in the symphony.
“This is what makes this small orchestra great—a persistent sense of collaboration toward artistic excellence uncommon in a community our size,” Patrick Nugent, the symphony’s executive director, said in a release.
Annapolis Symphony Orchestra is entering its 58th season. The symphony, which consists of 70 professional musicians led by Music Director José-Luis Novo, performs at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts. The nonprofit also provides educational programs through its partnerships with local schools.
According to its 2018 Tax Form 990, the organization had a revenue of $2 million and $1.4 million in expenses. The Annapolis Symphony Orchestra spent approximately $947,715 toward salaries, other compensation and employee benefits during the same time, according to the tax form.
Plaine said the difference in the ease of Annapolis Symphony’s negotiation and the struggle of Baltimore Symphony’s is the attitude each board brings to the table.
“The board and management of Annapolis Symphony have a good relationship with their orchestra anyway. They’re really there to support the musicians and they put the music first. … So they brought that attitude to the bargaining table. I’m sure they had an idea in their head about what they could afford, but they also know they’re in a marketplace and they had the ability to bring wages up to support the players. They want to maintain the best players they have and attract great players each season,” Plaine said.
“Baltimore is a very different situation,” she said, noting Baltimore is a much larger operation.
