Symphony Announces Musicians’ Contract Agreement Ratification For 18–19 Season

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 26, 2018

SAN ANTONIO SYMPHONY ANNOUNCES MUSICIANS’ CONTRACT AGREEMENT RATIFICATION FOR 18 – 19 SEASON

SAN ANTONIO—The San Antonio Symphony announces that as of Wednesday, June 20, 2018 the collective bargaining agreement under the laws of the State of Texas with the Local 23 of the American Federation of Musicians has been ratified by the Symphony Board of Directors. The intent of this agreement is to promote cooperation and harmony, to recognize common interests, to formulate and fix provisions governing the relationship between the institution and the musicians, as well as to set and establish salaries, work environment, and other terms and conditions of employment for all staff musicians who are engaged by the San Antonio Symphony during the term.

The newly adopted agreement maintains a minimum of 30 weeks of service that will fall between September 2018 – mid-June 2019. During this period, musicians will hold a base salary of $33,600. Opera weeks will now be counted towards the minimum week guarantee; the Symphony will also be involved in Sueños de Béjar, or Dreams of Bexar commissioned by Bexar County. The agreement also states that the Symphony must maintain the already engaged 72 musicians. Negotiations went for around two months with four scheduled meeting dates, starting mid-April – June 2018.

The negotiation committee for musician representation was comprised of Lauren Eberhart, Trumpet; Mary Ellen Goree, Chair of the Orchestra Committee, Negotiations Committee, and Principal Violin II; Beth Girko, Violin I; Stephanie Key, Assistant Principal Clarinet and E-Flat Clarinet; David Mollenauer, Assistant Principal Cello; Richard Oppenheim, President of the Local 23 American Federations of Musicians; and David Reinecke, Assistant Principal Percussion.

Goree stated, “The board and management share the same goal as the musicians, to move forward in a period of continued growth and ever-improving health. We musicians are looking forward to another artistically successful season, and we expect to continue performing orchestral music at the highest level for our community. We believe the speedy and fair conclusion of negotiations for next season will give us more time to prepare artistically while our board and management devote their energies to the fundraising and administrative tasks necessary to keep us on stage.”

San Antonio Symphony representation included Karina Bharne, Interim Executive Director; Frank Stenger-Castro, Board Vice Chair; and Kathleen Weir Vale, Board Chair. “I am pleased that we were able to reach an agreement with our musicians and the Local 23 American Federation of Musicians with ease and timeliness, and I applaud the efforts of both the musicians’ negotiations committee and San Antonio Symphony Board. The changes made in this agreement will help position us to expand our reach within the Greater San Antonio Area through high quality self-produced concerts and collaborative performances with our partner organizations.” said Bharne.

The San Antonio Symphony opens its 2018 – 19 Season on Friday, September 21 with The Greats: Watts Returns for Grieg. Single tickets will go on sale in August 2018. Subscriptions are currently offered for the full and partial classics series, and the full pops series. Please visit SASymphony.org for more details.

About San Antonio Symphony
The San Antonio Symphony, established in 1939, is a nonprofit performing arts organization with the mission to inspire and enrich its community by vigorously influencing the artistic fabric of San Antonio through excellent symphonic performance, education and service. Under the dynamic leadership of Music Director Sebastian Lang-Lessing and Assistant Conductor Noam Aviel, the San Antonio Symphony gives more than 100 performances annually, including classics, pops, educational programs, movie concerts, and performances with our fellow resident opera and ballet companies.With more than 70 professional musicians, the Symphony serves over 130,000 people per year including over 40,000 students. For more information about the San Antonio Symphony, please visit SASymphony.org.

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