Mid-Atlantic Symphony, musicians’ union agree on 3-year contract

Posted 9/29/21

Reinforcing its status as one of the nation’s leading professional regional orchestras, the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra and the Musicians’ Association of Metropolitan Baltimore have …

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Mid-Atlantic Symphony, musicians’ union agree on 3-year contract

Posted

Reinforcing its status as one of the nation’s leading professional regional orchestras, the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra and the Musicians’ Association of Metropolitan Baltimore have agreed to a new three-year contract.

“Musicians aspire to play with a union orchestra because of the high quality of performances and the opportunity to share the stage with other first-rate musicians,” said Mid-Atlantic Symphony Board President Jeffrey Parker. “This contract, the first in the MSO’s 24-year history, reflects the efforts of Music Director Julien Benichou to elevate the quality of our musicians and validates our status as the only professional orchestra serving southern Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore.”

“The committee is extremely pleased that management believed that a collective bargaining agreement would further the artistic growth of the orchestra and that musicians unanimously supported the ratification,” said Luis Engelke, who serves as Vice President of the Musicians’ Association of Metropolitan Baltimore, Local 40-543, American Federation of Musicians and was instrumental in organizing the musicians and negotiating the contract. “This was a collegial and collaborative venture.”

The contract agreement came just days before the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra opened its 2021-2022 season, with performances on Sept. 23 at Easton High School in Easton.

The 2021-2022 opener includes Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major (“Eroica”), as well as works by Ravel and Mussorgsky. The season’s concerts include works by Brahms, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, and Vivaldi, among others; the premiere of a composition by Maestro Benichou; and critically-acclaimed guest soloists.

Subscriptions for the five regular season concerts are $195, with patrons free to choose from any of the three locations for each program. Individual tickets are $45 or $50, depending upon the program and venue. Tickets for the non-subscription New Year’s Eve program are $60 for general admission $85 for premium seating.

Subscriptions and individual concert tickets are available online or by calling 888-846-8600.

To ensure the safety of its audience members and musicians, the Orchestra will require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for everyone entering venues.

The Musicians’ Association of Metropolitan Baltimore was established over 100 years ago and represents musicians who work in Central Maryland, the state’s Upper Chesapeake counties, and its Eastern Shore. In addition to the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, the Association’s musicians perform with orchestras in Baltimore and Annapolis, among others.

The Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council; the Talbot County Arts Council; the Worcester County Arts Council; the Sussex County, Delaware Council; and the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore, Inc.

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