Save Our BSO

The BSO Legacy

The Baltimore Symphony has been a cornerstone of the arts community for over one hundred years. Generations of Baltimore families have been entertained and educated about music at our performances. It is a hallmark of truly great cities to have institutions that enrich the cultural landscape and keep the arts alive and flourishing for generations to come. A vital Orchestra is just as essential to a thriving metropolitan area as museums, aquariums, theaters and stadiums. Maryland has shown that it wants a great orchestra.

THE FACTS

The BSO Musicians received an offer from the Baltimore Symphony management on Tuesday, October 30th. This was only the second negotiation meeting scheduled with management this season, and the only session since the previous collective bargaining agreement expired on September 9, 2018.

The BSO management offered a proposal that entailed a radically reduced season, cutting the weeks of employment from 52 to 40, amounting to a 23% cut in work weeks. The BSO has proposed eliminating its summer season, just one year after telling the Musicians at the bargaining table how important it is that the BSO remains one of this country’s 52-week orchestras.

The offer would result in a minimum of a 17% cut in salary. Other increased costs to Musicians in benefits and workload changes would bring the total cuts to 25% in real world value.

The Management of the BSO is openly calling for conversion of the Orchestra from a full-time, world-class symphony orchestra into a part-time regional orchestra, reflecting the BSO’s view of the reduced ability of a “troubled” Baltimore to continue to sustain a top-level institution.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?