Sweet Music

Smooth sailing at Symphony: Musicians agree to new contract with no drama, minimum salary to hit $97,240

The last time the Houston Symphony and its musicians agreed to a new contract in 2010, it happened only days before the previous one was scheduled to run out and Houston Symphony executive director/CEO Mark Hanson admitted negotiations were contentious at times.

What a difference four years make.

With a more robust financial situation and a sexy new conductor on the way, the Houston Symphony Society announced Thursday afternoon that a new four-year labor agreement had been reached with musicians significantly ahead of schedule. The existing contract is set to expire Oct. 4.

The minimum musician salary will rise from the current level of $86,840 to $97,240 during the 2017-18 season.

Under the terms of the new contract, which was negotiated over a three-month period, the minimum musician salary will rise from the current level of $86,840 to $97,240 during the 2017-18 season, an average of a 2.85 percent increase annually. The musicians' weekly scale will increase from the current level of $1,690 per week to $1,870 per week in 2017 through the end of the new contract.

The new agreement will run from Oct. 5, 2014 through Oct. 5, 2018.

In a press release symphony officials noted that the organization is on budget for a fourth consecutive year, thanks to record setting ticket sales and contributions. The current fiscal year ends on May 31.

“The new agreement represents a further strengthening of the partnership between musicians, staff, and the board as we continue to enhance the performance and profile of our great orchestra,” Hanson said in a statement. “The terms will enable us to grow artistically, expand our engagement with Houston’s growing and diverse population and maintain a sustainable balanced budget.”

The symphony is currently closing out its centennial season and will welcome its first Hispanic music director, the dashing Andrés Orozco-Estrada, to launch the 2014-15 season in September. As music director-designate Orozco-Estrada will conduct the symphony Thursday night (April 17) through Saturday as pianist Yefim Bronfman performs Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4.

symphony

the next 60 years

Houston's Jones Hall completes 5-year, $67.5 million renovation

Courtesy of Houston First

Mayor John Whitmire issued a proclamation celebration Jones Hall's 60th anniversary.

Fans of Houston’s performing arts groups have a reason to celebrate. Jones Hall, home to the Houston Symphony and Performing Arts Houston has completed a five-year, $67.5 million renovation project.

Virtually every component of the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts has been enhanced as part of the renovations. Improvements to the performance hall include:

New seating and additional aisle
Acoustical improvements including new sidewalls, orchestra shell, and forestage reflector
Refinished stage floor and new grand curtain

In addition, the lobby has been reconfigured, the restrooms have been expanded, and the Green Room has been expanded and relocated. Other changes include a new roof, new elevators, and upgraded HVAC. All of these will benefit both attendees at the dozens of performances the venue hosts every year.

Jones Hall 60th anniversary dedication City officials and others attended the ceremony. Courtesy of Houston First

“Jones Hall has been at the center of Houston’s performing arts community for six decades, and this investment ensures it will remain there well into the future,” Houston Mayor John Whitmire said in a statement. “I’m pleased to see Houstonians come together to help preserve this important arts space.”

The Foundation for Jones Hall and Houston First Corporation teamed up to raise the money necessary to perform the renovations, which have been completed in time for the venue’s 60th anniversary. As CultureMap’s Joel Luks noted in May, the original renovation plan was for a less ambitious, $25 million project. As a result of the more thorough project, “the result is a reimagined Jones Hall with enhanced patron spaces, improved sound quality, updated backstage operations, additional lounges and restrooms, and expanded accommodations for guests with disabilities,” Luks wrote.

“Great cities invest in the institutions and public spaces that bring people together,” said Michael Heckman, president and CEO of Houston First. “Jones Hall has done that for Houston for 60 years. With this transformation complete, we are excited about what the next 60 years will bring.”

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