Montreal players win 4.1% annual increase

Montreal players win 4.1% annual increase

Orchestras

norman lebrecht

October 29, 2023

The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal has signed a five-year agreement with the musicians.

The financial parameters of this agreement provide, among other things, for annual increases totaling 4.1% in contractual fees and an improvement of seniority bonuses.

Comments

  • Pest removal says:

    Waiting for Chicagorat to remind us again that even Montreal have a better contract than CSO despite making less than half the money

  • Paul Wells says:

    The news release says the musicians and management reached “a five-year agreement on non-monetary clauses and have settled for the next two years on a salary schedule.” It’s hard to be sure, but I take “annual increases totalling 4.1%” to mean their base salary will have increased by 4.1% after those two years. Five years of 4.1% annual increases would be spectacular but I don’t think they’re that lucky.

  • Chicagorat says:

    After Cleveland and Philadelphia, Montreal also outclasses Chicago (4.1% to 3%). And that is expected, as Montreal is now a shiny orchestra, while Chicago has become a Tier 2/3.

    Would you pay to listen to this glorious Mahler? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHdlvmmZJus

    Or this wearisome, lifeless, dreary Beethoven?
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZWvG_OJ6pI

    • Aaron says:

      Last time I checked, it was Chicago that was invited to Amsterdam for Mahler festival, not Montreal. The CSO has performed Mahler 1 this week and it was exhilarating. Last time you came here you were comparing the same Beethoven recording to Philadelphia. The same week CSO under Zweden performed what I would call the most exciting Beethoven 5 I have ever heard. Muti is gone, the era of his slow, heavy and senile tempos is over, nobody is missing him and the orchestra is playing with renewed spirit. (I just hope they will get new trombones soon)

      Speaking of contracts, CSO makes the highest salary along with Boston while Philadelphia was 8th even behind National Symphony. I have no idea what Montreal makes but “pest removal” above claims CSO makes more than double so ask yourself where you’d rather be if you were a musician.

      Now go find something meaningful to do before you poison yourself with your bile you ugly pest

      • NYMike says:

        Philly is no longer 8th with their new contract which includes restoring the 10 rostered musicians taken away in 2011. Yap’s Beethoven 5 here in NY was hard-driven and hard-edged.

    • Classical DJ says:

      More than lifeless, I think it’s robotic and mechanical. I am surprised actually.

    • Sad Ludwig says:

      Jeez this B7 is an ear sore, it should be censored

    • Just saying says:

      Chicagorat you might want to check your sources, the 4.1% increase is over two years so their yearly increase is actually 2.05%.

  • Zarathusa says:

    Annual increases in the 4% range seem to be what most “unions” are settling for lately despite short or protracted negotiations! So “What’s new?”

  • Backrowchair says:

    You do not “win” a raise in pay, you work hard to earn a raise in pay. It’s not a lottery.

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