Frequently Asked Questions

What have the musicians been paid in the past year?

Current base salary for a Shreveport Symphony full-time musician is $12,693 per year, plus an additional $1,440 per year for health benefits and 5% distributed to a pension fund. This salary is approximately $2500 above the 2007 poverty guideline as designated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Principal players make only slightly more. The imposed contract will eliminate the full-time status of these players and reduce pay by 75% for the 2008-09 season.

Part-time musicians make $60.15 per concert or rehearsal, called a service. (A service is usually two and a half or three hours in length.) The per-service amount is the same whether musicians have a contract guaranteeing they play a certain number of services, or are hired on as-needed basis. While the imposed contract would increase the service rate to $72.64 during the 2008-09 season, the total number of services for everyone is only guaranteed to be 43, with many only guaranteed 25. The total is simple math: 43 times $72.64 = $3123.52. Keep in mind that this only takes into consideration the time the orchestra spends together as a group. Each musician must spend many hours preparing his or her part on his own to be ready for rehearsals and concerts.

How does this new plan affect the organization financially?

The new plan will cut $332,153 in operating costs, all at the expense of the full-time musicians. For the 2006-07 season, the cost of the core including FICA, pension and health payments was a total of $429,126.93. Under management's new plan, the cost of the same group of people would be $96,973.93. In other words, the cost to the orchestra of all 24 highly skilled and talented professionals combined would not be much higher than what the orchestra is currently paying its executive director (including FICA, etc.).

Haven’t the musicians taken pay cuts?

Yes, the full-time musicians have taken a total 27% in pay cuts since 2001. The per-service rate has been cut 7% and the number of services (rehearsals or concerts) the Symphony has used has been reduced. The musicians are now making the same salary that they made in 1992, which does not address the years of price increases and the rising costs of health care.

Why does Shreveport need full-time musicians?

Shreveport doesn’t have a large music school with full-time professors to play in the orchestra like many small orchestras do. (Baton Rouge Symphony, for example). Many years ago the SSO board of directors decided they wanted to attract high quality musicians who would be a part of the community by paying them a full-time salary. Even though the salary is quite low it has been an incentive for musicians to relocate here, and provide the cohesiveness and high artistic level achieved by having a group of talented musicians who play together on a consistent basis.

Imagine what would happen if a professional football team did not have full-time players, but only hired players on a “per game” basis. How would they learn to work together, to play to each others strengths and weaknesses, to build a cohesive “system” over time that enabled them to achieve greater and greater heights of performance?

Full-time musicians are available for services from 9:30 A.M. to Midnight., giving the SSO flexibility to schedule educational performance in the day and symphony and opera rehearsals at night. Full-time musicians serve the community by teaching students and providing music for church services, weddings, and other events.

How do you become a full-time musician in the Shreveport Symphony?

Openings are advertised nationally, in the musician’s union newspaper and on various websites. Applicants submit their resumes to be invited to the live audition, with all the prospective candidates traveling to Shreveport at their own expense. For an audition each musician prepares a solo work and several excerpts chosen from the orchestral repertoire by the audition committee. All the candidates play behind a screen for 10-20 minutes for the audition committee, composed of several orchestra members and the Music Director. After everyone plays, the committee selects the musicians they want to hear again, finally selecting the player they feel will be the best for the position. There are 24 full-time positions, with one currently unfilled.

Part-time positions are filled the same way. There are 15 part-time positions, with 4 currently unfilled. Other musicians are hired on an as-needed basis, depending on the music to be played.

Do the musicians own their own instruments?

Yes, at considerable expense. Professional woodwind and brass instruments cost thousands of dollars, and high quality string instruments can costs hundreds of thousands or more. Collectively the musicians of the SSO own instruments worth over $1.4 million. Musicians also pay an average of $500 a year for maintenance and supplies such as reeds or strings.

What is the work schedule like for the musicians?

Most symphony services take place at night or on weekends. For a Master Series concert, there are usually 4 rehearsals starting on the Wednesday before a Saturday concert. For pops concerts, there are usually 2 rehearsals, and youth concerts and other events will have one or two rehearsals. Educational concerts are scheduled in the mornings, as well as rehearsals that only involve the full-time musicians.

The time spent in rehearsal is only the tip of the iceberg. Musicians are expected to learn their orchestra parts on their own time before rehearsals begin, and must practice many additional hours to maintain their skills. When this is taken into account, a musician's Symphony workweek can easily top 40 hours. Additionally, musicians often serve as volunteers on committees related to their orchestral work. Many of the Symphony musicians then work additional hours teaching or playing in other ense mbles to share their talents and make ends meet.