The highest paid maestro of them all
mainDrew McManus has reached phase 2 of his annual survey of US orchestral wage bills, as posted in their tax returns.
The tax year is 2017/18 and this is the league table for maestro remuneration:
1 Chicago Symphony: $3,527,730
2 San Francisco Symphony: $2,203,185
3 Los Angeles Philharmonic: $2,130,895
4 Dallas Symphony: $1,894,129
5 Cleveland Orchestra: $1,698,759
6 New York Philharmonic: $1,660,299
7 Philadelphia Orchestra: $1,380,667
8 Boston Symphony: $1,199,866
9 Saint Louis Symphony: $1,020,638
10 Baltimore Symphony: $926,562
In personal terms that reads:
1 Muti
2 Tilson Thomas
3 Dudamel
4 Van Zweden
5 Welser-Möst
6 Alan Gilbert
7 Yannick
8 Nelsons
9 Robertson
10 Alsop
Riccardo Muti was the big winner with a 29.86 percent wage hike, posted as $2,264,240 in payments as an independent contractor and $1,263,490 as an employee.
He delivers
Dudamel broke the $2 million barrier for the first time. In Cleveland, FW-M won a 28 percent increase.
More details on Drew’s site here.
“But watch Van Zweden taking two pay packets from Dallas and NY: he’s not far behind.”
Actually if you add up Dallas and New York he exceeds Chicago.
And then don’t forget HK
^ Ah. Correction to my earlier comment (assuming it gets printed): 2017/18. Did the two jobs overlap? I lose track.
Is he still getting paid by Dallas?
Big surprise for me. I thought that the excellent and prestigous orchestra of Boston had more money for Nelsons.
They have the Leipzig joint venture to boost Nelson’s overall income.
Muti is all about prestige, hair styles, golden Rolexes and invitations to Vienna. As a rule, he has to be the most expensive.
Fat cat Nelsons is getting there.
Wonder what Valery gets in Munich?
If i was muti i would retire to italy better weather than Chicago.
He is not so young. why have the pressure of the american orchestra.
To pay for a vineyard in Europe.
The publishing of this list right now is almost cynical, considering that the orchestras havent been playing for almost four months.
The numbers are from 2017/18, if that means anything.
Better be a king-size pizza the maestro is delivering.
Contrast this with Frans Bruggen who insisted he be paid no more than the musicians in the orchestra:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5VKiSYrxUg
Which nobody knows…
You’re a top conductor when you’re above everyone by doing anything better. That’s wisdom!
Bruggen was a very well known pioneer of the historical performance practice movement. That you don’t know about him doesn’t mean he was not one of the best so don’t judge before doing your research.
“Histerical” performance practice?! Oh, yeah, chief, allocate all kindergarden golden stars for this gentleman right now!
Which at the same time lowers expectations.
His Haydn 88 is the best according to this critic in the States 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAtxF-Ub89Q
How can one be both an independent contractor and an employee at the same time?
Most likely as Music Director he’s a salaried employee. As a conductor he’s an independent contractor.
My guess: One is the salary as Music Director and the other compensation is fees for concerts as an independent contractor. There must be tax implications and also agent commissions causing the split. The salary is filed on form 1040, the concert fees on form 1099. Not an expert, just guessing.
Often a Music Director salary will be paid in regular amounts monthly and counted as W2 income (employee), and performance fees (usually not earned every month) will be counted as 1099 income (independent contractor). Each state in the US has slightly different rules about this, which can be annoyingly confusing.
The other likely scenario is that he has formed a separate LLC that receives payments on his behalf. So he might receive the W2 income directly to him, and the 1099 income may be paid to his LLC, which then makes distributions to him. MTT had a similar set up, if I recall from reviewing 990s.
Or his pay could go to a private foundation, of which he is the beneficiary, thus avoiding taxes altogether?
Another one from the series “How to make real money with music”: don’t do music, put other people to do for you and just stamp your name on it. Way to go, guys.
It’s all very interesting and numbers are impressive, but it doesn’t provide sufficient detail. As basic salary those are significant figures. But if they are paid as contractors, then they would include Social Security, Medicare, pension contributions that they would have to cover themselves.
BTW, in 2017-18 the Philharmonic was without a music director (JvanZ took over in 2018-19). So who was getting that money?
Also if you take into accout all those other elements you mention, their remunerations are massive. Especially when you realise they are also making money as guest conductors.
Van Zweden’s first season as MD of the NY Phil was 18-19, corresponding with the 2018-2019 fiscal year. This would have been Gilbert’s last season of earnings.
That’s what I call a mutimillionaire.
Some of these compensation figures are obscene, considering the music directors in question …
I will never- ever- understand the Yannick hype. A total mystery to me. He’s laughing all the way to the bank. And before anyone tries to lecture me as though I were some sort of outsider or amateur, please remember that I am a professional orchestral musician.
One does not need to be “outsider or amateur” to be mistaken.
Yeah, but you might play viola…
No need to discuss the obvious gender bias.
Yes, only two of them are known to be gay.
At least three, actually.
Unless one enjoys discussing something that does not exist.
I know Drew doesn’t have access to the data, but how does this compare to what conductors of top European or Asian orchestras are making? Did Sir Simon earn more in Berlin, Jansons at the BRSO, or JvanZ in Hong Kong (I can’t imagine he’d go there for less-than-great money)? I don’t even know who was conducting in Japan at the time, but they were probably making good money. What’s Long Yu earning between his various Chinese orchestras?
I just hope his pizza is better than his boring interpretations.
Pizza quatro stagioni – Vivaldi
Pizza spinaci – Verdi
Pizza quatro formaggi – Brahms, Schumann
Pizza Magharita – Haydn, Satie
Pizza diavolo – Paganini, Liszt
Pizza frutti di mare – Britten, Debussy
Calzone?
What any board member of an American corporation who is involved in CEO compensation can tell you (as well as any agent representing a sports figure), is that what you are willing to pay is directly related to the amount of money that the person in question is (assumed to be) bringing in. It is only tangentially related to any substantive ability.
I love how Yannick makes $1.38 M whilst the musicians were forced by Alison the Vulgarian to give up their pensions!! Nice!!
I have played for Muti and he’s worth every penny, especially compared to his predecessor’s salary.
You wouldn’t know unless you were there – even during the pandemic which he has also sacrificed to.
You are 100% correct. I have played for him as well and he is phenomenal.
Muti is the best. The conductor was bot so good.
Muti is the best. The previous conductor was not as good.
He is worth his salary. Barenboim was not worth what he was paid
It was a weird world two years ago when MTT was making more than either FWM or YNS (for their primary jobs, that is).
Aha, Welser-Moest is neither getting the most nor the least.
Welser is not Möst expensive.
Sounds about right. He is certainly the finest conductor in the U.S. and one of the very best in the world.