Question 1

Are all American orchestras taking large pay cuts?

Accepted Answer

The pandemic has undoubtedly been devastating to arts and culture across the United States. Most major American symphony orchestra musicians took significant cuts during the 20-21 season. The San Antonio Symphony musicians agreed to an 80% reduction in base pay for the sake of saving the organization in that unprecedented time and keeping musicians in front of our audiences. For the current 21-22 season, 50 out of 51 full-time orchestras in the United States either have their full salaries reinstated to pre-pandemic levels or are on track to return to pre-pandemic salaries. San Antonio Symphony is the one major American orchestra not to have done so.

Question 2

Are the Musicians unwilling to face the reality of the fiscal challenges facing the San Antonio Symphony?

Accepted Answer

No, we dispute the solution management is proposing to the current challenges. The musicians feel that the best way to resolve the fiscal challenges is to engage in a vigorous fundraising campaign. You can't cut your way to success.    The financial engine of the symphony is the marketing and development departments with support from an endowment.  Until the engine is fixed the musicians will be ground to the nub.

Question 3

How does the San Antonio Symphony rank nationally?

Accepted Answer

The San Antonio Symphony ranks near the bottom among ICSOM orchestras in terms of its budget size and musician compensation, but it is widely respected among musicians of other orchestras, guest conductors, and visiting soloists, for its high level of artistry and commitment to musical excellence.

Question 4

What is an ICSOM Orchestra?

Accepted Answer

ICSOM, or International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians, is an association of the musicians of full-time professional orchestras in the United States and Canada. The San Antonio Symphony was a founding orchestra in ICSOM.

Question 5

Why are there 72 musicians in the San Antonio Symphony?

Accepted Answer

The question might be better phrased as “Why are there *only* 72 musicians in the San Antonio Symphony, because we have fewer string players and horns than many of our peer orchestras and already must add extra strings in order to play large-scale orchestral works such as Mahler symphonies. We cannot be reduced any further in size without losing the ability to play most of the standard orchestral repertoire.

Question 6

Are tax dollars used to support the San Antonio Symphony?

Accepted Answer

The San Antonio Symphony receives a small portion of its budget from the city of San Antonio and from Bexar County. Most of this goes to pay rent and other expenses incurred by performing at the Tobin Center.

Question 7

How do the arts and specifically the San Antonio Symphony attract jobs to San Antonio?

Accepted Answer

Beyond the obvious -- the musicians and staff of the San Antonio Symphony, all of whom hold paid positions with the Symphony Society -- many corporations look at the “quality of life” in various cities when deciding where to locate a new office or even relocate their headquarters. Having a professional orchestra in a city is an important part of that city’s quality of life, not only for the orchestra concerts themselves but also for the way in which the musicians enhance the musical life of the community. We perform at churches for holiday special music, we are an important addition to weddings, funerals, and other important life occasions, we put on our own chamber music series, we coach the students at local schools and youth orchestras, we teach at local colleges and universities, and we teach many of the children of San Antonio. Businesses know what is present in a city with a professional orchestra, and what is missing in a city without one.

Question 8

What does it take to make an orchestra like the San Antonio Symphony successful?

Accepted Answer

It takes a full complement of dedicated and highly trained musicians, a well-staffed management including a professional development department, and a board that is committed to making the contacts and raising the money necessary to pay for the musicians and the management. It also takes a supportive, enthusiastic audience.

Question 9

How many concerts does the San Antonio Symphony play annually?

Accepted Answer

In a normal season we might play fourteen pairs (two performances each) of classical subscription concerts, six pairs of Pops concerts, special performances including two operas, two weeks of Nutcracker performances, twenty-four or more student concerts for up to 50,000 students in the San Antonio area, several free community concerts, one or two movie soundtrack performances, and the list goes on and on!

Question 10

Is playing in the San Antonio Symphony a full-time job?

Accepted Answer

Yes, this is every musician’s career and full-time job. Even though the San Antonio Symphony does not perform 52 weeks out of the year, musicians rarely take a day off from practicing; Many of us take our instruments along on vacations. Like athletes, we always need to “be in shape”, enabling us to produce the quality performances that our audiences and music deserve.

Question 11

What is involved in the education and training of orchestral musicians?

Accepted Answer

All of us began learning our instruments at a very young age. After a childhood and adolescence spent largely in practice rooms, school orchestras or bands, and youth orchestras, we gained admittance to some of the most competitive and highly ranked music schools in the United States and internationally. Upon completing our education, we went through the arduous and expensive process of taking nationally competitive auditions for professional orchestras. Each of us won such an audition for the San Antonio Symphony.

Question 12

Why are the musicians in a union?

Accepted Answer

A union is, at its most basic level, an association of workers who have common needs and interests at work, who have come together for their mutual well-being.   Before musicians joined together to become collective bargaining units and members of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM), age, race and gender discrimination were prevalent in hiring and firing practices in orchestras. Musicians also experienced poor working and touring conditions which led to injuries.   The musicians in virtually every professional orchestra in the United States and Canada are members of the AFM. The union helps musicians with such issues as holding fair auditions, making sure rehearsals start and end on time, and preventing unfair dismissals. The union also protects orchestra managements, laying out expectations for the musicians as well as for the management.

Question 13

Who pays for the musicians’ instruments?

Accepted Answer

Although the orchestra owns some instruments, such as percussion instruments and pianos, all musicians are required to provide their own high quality instruments for practicing and performance. String instruments are a monumental investment, often ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 and up. Although wind and brass instruments generally cost less, players must own multiple instruments to meet the requirements of the varied music we play. All instruments require costly regular maintenance, and musicians continually upgrade to and invest in the best instruments available.

Question 14

How are the musicians of the San Antonio Symphony involved in community outreach?

Accepted Answer

The San Antonio Symphony has a formal Community Outreach program through which many SAS musicians are sent into the community to work with students at Title One schools, perform for audiences who might otherwise not be able to hear live classical music, and do educational programming at local public libraries. The musicians of the San Antonio Symphony have also volunteered to play holiday music for some of the sickest and/or most disadvantaged people in our community through our volunteer Christmas caroling project. Past performances have taken place in such places as pediatric ICUs, homeless shelters, and the Bexar County Jail.

Musicians of the San Antonio Symphony

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