The irony in all this is that American orchestras like to speak the language of populism. They talk about getting out of their concert halls, and being close to the communities they want to serve. But these protestations of a democratic spirit will ring hollow, as long as the players themselves are receiving princely salaries. Those players should remember it’s not just the big corporate donors which pay their salaries; it’s the thousands of small donations from ordinary Americans, many of whom will be earning much less than they are. It’s time for American orchestras to stop spoiling themselves, and get real.