Musicians, staff agree to 'sacrifice'

The Charleston Symphony Orchestra's management and musicians have struck a deal enabling the organization to pursue another season, though one that will rely on a much smaller budget and require significant personal sacrifice, according to board President Ted Legasey.

The board's vote Thursday night was followed by a vote from musicians on Friday approving terms for a new "master agreement." The agreement, which takes into account programming, budget and contract concerns, cleared the way for the organization to hold its annual subscription Renewal Night at the final Masterworks concert of the current season on Saturday.

The deal ensures that a total of 39 contracted players can keep their jobs, but requires an eight-week unpaid furlough to be taken during the 2009-10 season, according to Legasey.

The number of symphony players has been reduced from 46 to 39 in recent months through attrition. If further attrition should occur, the length of the furlough would be reduced. "If attrition were to reduce the orchestra to 25 musicians, there would be no furlough weeks," Legasey wrote in an e-mail to stakeholders.

Symphony staff members, including conductors, will see their salaries reduced nearly 23 percent next season.

The arrangement comes after long and tenuous negotiations that caused frustration among musicians who said efforts to raise funds and generate revenues should take precedence over budget and personnel cuts. But a collision between problems in the organization and a severe economic downturn prompted both sides to negotiate a solution.

To stabilize the future of the CSO, the musicians will take an 11.4 percent annual pay cut for the 2008-09 season and another pay reduction of 25.1 percent for 2009-10, Debra Sherrill, leader of the musician-formed Keep the Music Playing Committee, said in a statement. This would bring the musicians' average annual salary to about $17,000.

"It remains to be seen whether the CSO board, management and community are willing to do what is necessary to maintain an orchestra for the city of Charleston," Sherrill said in the statement.

The annual operating budget was reduced from about $2.9 million to $2.3 million but includes a $100,000 line item to be used to repay salaries forfeited this year, Legasey said. The budget also includes money for a new development director and additional marketing initiatives.

Legasey said he understood and appreciated the "great sacrifice by all employees."

"By making this sacrifice, the employees have positioned the orchestra to operate from a much more economical platform, so we can weather this storm and hopefully build strength for the future," he said.

Concertmaster Yuriy Bekker said Charleston deserves to have a world-class symphony whose financial footing is more secure.

"By coming to an agreement, musicians and management have proved our loyalty to the community," Bekker said. "We are sacrificing big portions of our salaries so that the show will go on."

The symphony's financial difficulties have prompted program and venue changes, musician-initiated benefit concerts and one performance cancellation.

Two weeks before the March 19 finale of the Charleston Concert Association's season, symphony management cancelled its appearance because of uncertainty over contract negotiations and its ability to make payroll.

"After doors were shut and almost locked tight, this agreement allows the doors to open and for us to walk through them," Music Director David Stahl said, acknowledging the sacrifices made by musicians. "This is not an end, but a beginning."

Stahl said the symphony's future depends on additional hard work and collaboration.

"The music, the staff, the board and the (CSO) League have to all take part now in this restructuring," he said.