The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) musicians and management announced a new five-year labor agreement to take effect on Sept. 9.

The new agreement provides competitive salary increases which fall in the top 10 percent of American orchestras, flexible scheduling, industry-leading audition, and tenure practices, reinforcing the CSO’s dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The contract provides for a base salary increase of 23 percent over the life of the contract, ensuring that the CSO can maintain a competitive advantage as it seeks to recruit and retain top talent. Improvements have been made to scheduling parameters to create elasticity that allows for artistic and economic opportunities, and a flexible workweek layout.

Furthermore, there are new contractual and policy provisions in the agreement that focus on transparency, equity, and support mechanisms, as recommended by the National Alliance for Audition Support (NAAS) and the Black Orchestral Network. Highlights include “the advancement of Sphinx Orchestral Partner Audition (SOPA) winners to the semi-final round of auditions,” “the creation and execution of a formal evaluation process based on job-related criteria as well as the increase of support systems for musicians during the tenure process,” and “the implementation of protections against conflicts of interest in audition and tenure processes.”

“The identification of shared priorities early in our discussions, such as improvements to the audition and tenure process and a desire on both sides for a longer-term contract, established a collaborative spirit that carried throughout the entire negotiation,” said CSO Contrabassoon and Chair of the Players Committee Jennifer Monroe in a press release. “Both sides worked diligently to find common ground on important issues. The Players Committee is grateful to Paul Frankenfeld, President of the American Federation of Musicians Local 1, and musicians’ attorney Barbara Jaccoma and management’s attorney Joanne Bush for their important contributions to the negotiation process. We are also grateful to CSO management for their willingness to understand the musicians’ needs and concerns in finding creative solutions together.”

“This five-year agreement underscores a deep commitment from both the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra musicians and management to continue our work to deliver high-caliber, live orchestral music and music education to Cincinnatians and the global community. The stability that this agreement provides will enable the organization to be 100% focused on the implementation of our strategic plan and help ensure the success of Cristian Măcelaru’s launch as our new Music Director in 2025,” said CSO President and CEO Jonathan Martin. “I commend our musicians and the management negotiating team, led by CSO Chief Operating Officer Robert McGrath, for their hard work that yielded this exceptional collective bargaining agreement.”