There has been a steady stream of articles about the salaries and working conditions of American orchestral musicians in recent years. Other articles have detailed some of the financial issues facing major orchestras currently. The International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM) is a conference of the American Federation of Musicians and represents the musicians of 52 of the largest American orchestras-nearly all the orchestras that pay a full-time wage. We have compiled the following material in order to assist journalists writing about the issues facing American orchestras.
If you need additional information, or have suggestions for additions to these pages, please contact us. While we cannot comment on individual orchestras’ situations, we would be glad to provide context about the industry as a whole. For further comment for publication, please contact Jan Gippo, Chair of ICSOM at: (314) 971-2023, or via e-mail.
The Facts about Orchestra Salaries