Time for symphony musicians to face reality

It’s sad, but it’s an all-too-real fact that the San Antonio Symphony has found itself — yet again — sounding a familiar note. The musicians’ contract is under negotiation, and management and musicians are at odds.

Like most other nonprofit organizations, the pandemic disruption hit the already struggling symphony hard. The symphony earns money from ticket buyers who attend concerts, individual donors who support the cause, corporate sponsors and artistic grants from foundations, as well as the city of San Antonio and Bexar County. Each has its limits, which leaves little room for flexibility or union demands. During the pandemic, when the symphony couldn’t perform, it lost event revenue and has found itself in a downward fiscal spiral.

I’ve been down this same road as a symphony board member and as interim CEO of the symphony in 2005. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the musicians, and I’ve followed the developments closely.

Symphony management has put about a dozen offers on the table, with the most recent one offering an average total compensation package of $42,500 for 30 weeks of work. Many people don’t know that, but it is posted on the symphony’s website. The response from the musicians union has been to blast management, hold their own concerts and protest at City Hall, as well as at the personal residences of board members.

Let’s be clear: I am not debating the worth or value of what the musicians should be paid. The issue is what they can be paid within the limited means under which the organization can sustainably operate — and once and for all stop this repetitive cycle. The focus should be on how to ensure the symphony not only survives in a postpandemic, ever-changing economy but also thrives for generations to come without disruptions.

Musicians are demanding no fewer than 72 fully salaried musicians in a world-class, acoustically sound venue. OK, but when the musicians went off on their own and performed in a local church with fewer than 60 musicians, they violated their own standards and undercut their own arguments.

Is it impossible to have a symphony given the proposed budget? Not at all. The Austin Symphony Orchestra lives within its roughly $5 million budget. It has not been negatively impacted by continuous financial disruptions like we have experienced in San Antonio.

The struggles of today are painfully familiar. To avoid this situation, once again, something must shift for sustainability.

Let’s stop blaming the symphony’s board. Board members dug deeply into their own pockets over the past three years and have donated more than $1.5 million to help cover musicians’ salaries.

Let us all agree that management must stretch as far as it can without making promises it can’t keep, as it has far too many times before. Musicians must recognize the actual budget limits are real. Let all sides lean in and get to an agreement so that the orchestra we love may continue to serve the community we love.