Klarinet Archive - Posting 001256.txt from 1998/04

From: Jonathan Cohler <cohler@-----.net>
Subj: Re: Pay analysis of Full-time Orchs
Date: Wed, 22 Apr 1998 19:09:37 -0400

>Jonathon,
>
>Your material re: wage info is hopelessly outdated.
>
>For example, the DSO has had a 52 week season since the mid-60's. This chart
>indicated a concessionary year in which management had the right to lay us off
>for a few weeks. That, thankfully, is long past. (Right now, we're actually
>in the midst of a 53 week season!).
>
>There is a new -- and current -- AFM wage chart available. Perhaps you can
>glean better conclusions from that?
>
>Also, there are actually over 40 major orchestras, as defined by ICSOM. What
>makes an orchestra full-time, of course, is subject to one's interpretation.
>
>Seattle, by the way, is not an AF ofM orchestra, so it is not included.
>
>Larry Liberson
>hardreed@-----.com

Larry,

As I stated in the post, the data was from the 1995-1996. I don't think
that classifies it as "hopelessly outdated". It serves to make the
necessary point. Namely, that the average salary of players in the full
time orchestras is definitely more than the $50K I used as a conservative
assumption. Certainly, individual numbers have changed (no doubt the
average is somewhat higher than $66K now).

There are other "major" orchestras depending on how you define "major." I
chose those orchestras that are full-time (i.e. 52 weeks, DSO was the
exception for the reason you mentioned). Even if you add in the next 12
largest orchestras based on pay (which, by the way, are not full-time) the
average scale salary circa 1996 still comes $55K, again well over my
assumption.

In other words, these numbers prove that my assumption on salary was valid.

-------------------
Jonathan Cohler
cohler@-----.net