After a three-month strike, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra will play its first concert on 31 December at Bass Hall, conducted by music director Miguel Harth-Bedoya. Indeed, the musicians voted on Wednesday to approve the new labour agreement which was announced a few days ago.
The new contract will run through 31 July 2020 and includes a pay freeze for the first two years and modest pay raises of 2 percent in the third and 2.5 percent in the fourth year. Vacation will be reduced from 35 to 28 days for musicians; however, health insurance premiums will remain the same.
The pay raises were possible after an anonymous donor came forward with $700,000 to cover the increased cost of the musicians’ salaries.