Nashville Symphony, Nashville Musicians Association Reach Agreement

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After more than three months of negotiations, the Nashville Symphony and the Nashville Musicians Association, AFM Local 257, have reached an agreement that will provide the Musicians of the Nashville Symphony with an interim stipend that will begin Jan. 3, 2021. The musicians were furloughed on July 1, and all scheduled concert activity has been suspended through July 31, 2021.

The agreement provides musicians with a $500 weekly stipend, while the musicians commit to participating in community performances and other activities to be determined with the orchestra’s administrative staff. The Nashville Symphony will also continue to provide musicians with health insurance benefits for the duration of the agreement, which ends July 31, 2021. Due to the short-term nature of this agreement, negotiations between the symphony and the musicians will continue with the goal of reaching a new agreement before the start of the 2021-22 season.

In addition to producing virtual performances and participating in educational initiatives, musicians will work with staff to develop a comprehensive plan to ensure that both the orchestra and the audience can safely return to the concert hall. Corporate partners Amazon and Nissan North America offered significant support for the agreement.

“This agreement represents a vital first step in bringing the Nashville Symphony back from one of the most monumental challenges it has faced,” said Pamela Carter, chair of the Nashville Symphony’s Board of Directors. “We have much work left to do, but we cannot do it without our musicians, who represent the heart, soul and artistry of our organization. Many of our musicians have been profoundly affected by this pandemic, but thanks to the support of our community, whose generosity has helped make this agreement possible, I am confident that our orchestra will reemerge from this crisis stronger and more resilient than ever.”

Nashville Musicians Association President Dave Pomeroy talked about what Nashville’s symphony musicians have had to endure this year. “The July 1 announcement of the extended furlough of all Nashville Symphony musicians created an untenable situation for many of these world class players. Like so many unemployed Americans, they were faced with heartbreaking decisions in order to survive—some of which involved not being able to stay in Nashville at all. It is fortunate that we were finally able to reach an agreement with the NSO to give some assistance to these world-class musicians, and help them get through this unprecedented time.”

“Like most other performing organizations and concert venues, the Nashville Symphony has experienced staggering financial losses, that since mid-March, when we were forced to shut our doors, have topped $10 million,” said President & CEO Alan D. Valentine. “Despite every effort to keep our musicians and staff employed, our Board of Directors was forced to make some extremely difficult decisions with painful short-term consequences in order to secure the long-term future of the institution. Today’s announcement is also driven by our commitment to the Nashville Symphony’s long-term well-being. Our orchestra cannot survive unless we invest in our greatest resource: our musicians.”

Jessica Nicholson
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