BSO Trims Season To 40 Weeks, Cancels Summer Concerts

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is trimming its season from year-round to 40 weeks, canceling its summer concerts, including the Star-Spangled Spectacular, the orchestra announced Thursday.

The board and management made the moves to address financial challenges including more than $16 million in losses in the past decade. State lawmakers approved a $3.2 million grant for BSO in the most recent legislative session, but management said they needed to take action for the body's long-term stability. The orchestra's musicians opposed the moves in negotiations prior to the contract that expired last October. On Thursday, management renewed the contract proposal made to musicians.

The orchestra's musicians have been playing without a contract since September. Proposed cuts have been a major issue in stalled contract negotiations.

“These decisions were extremely difficult to make and were not entered into lightly, but they are the right ones if the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is going to continue to exist as a nationally renowned organization,” BSO president and CEO Peter Kjome said in a statement. “If the BSO is going to survive, our business model needs to change, and that change begins in earnest today. In our view, moving from 52 weeks to 40 weeks is necessary. We look forward to working with our musicians as we navigate this change and prepare for a future that is strong and vibrant.

Going from 52 to 40 weeks would mean fewer paid weeks for musicians during the summer, and going from nine weeks of paid vacation to four. However, the proposal would raise the weekly base pay for musicians and set up auditions to fill open positions. Musicians will keep their comprehensive benefits package.

The orchestra's musicians said they were blindsided by the announcement.

"This decision defies the good will of the Maryland legislature, Governor Hogan, the citizens of Maryland, and our patrons and donors," musicians said in a statement. "The musicians were caught completely off-guard that their paychecks will end in less than a month."

They said it was musicians who pushed for the new state funding and that musicians have turned down work elsewhere so they could stay in Baltimore.

"Now we will be unemployed while the management that caused this debacle will go on collecting their paychecks," they said.

Orchestra officials said other major orchestras with shorter seasons can still keep up a high level of accomplishment and that of the 21 major orchestras nationwide, one-third have seasons of fewer than 52 weeks.

The situation epitomizes orchestral labor struggles across the nation. Musicians want a fair and regular salary for a highly skilled job. But demand for concerts is decreasing.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra musicians recently staged a strike for nearly seven weeks over proposed changes to pension plans. The Minnesota Orchestra and Detroit Symphony Orchestra recently emerged from long and bitter labor disputes.

“We greatly appreciate efforts made by legislative leaders and the governor to provide support during this time of transition," Kjome said. "Ultimately, we owe it to our musicians, donors, sponsors, subscribers, and our community, to create a financially sound organization that will allow us to continue performances at the very highest level. We are working with our musicians to come to resolution on a new agreement as soon as possible."

The orchestra will play the remainder of its subscription season, which runs through June 16. However, the New Music Festival from June 20 to 22, the Oregon Ridge Star-Spangled Spectacular On July 3, its appearance with Leslie Odom Jr. on July 5, "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" from July 11 to 13, the Artscape performance on July 19 and "Cirque Dances" on July 26 and 27 are canceled. The ticket office will contact anybody with tickets to thise concerts over the next three weeks.

The BSO is also canceling its Academy Week, which would have taken place from July 14 to 20.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.