Curtain not rising on Kennedy Center’s symphony opener as musicians strike

The musicians’ union of the National Symphony Orchestra went on strike Friday, forcing the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to cancel its season-opening gala concert.

Members of the Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Federation of Musicians, Local 161-710, wore red shirts and played their instruments as they formed a picket line. They complained that their six-figure incomes are no longer enough to afford rising living costs in the nation’s capital. 

“All across the country, we’ve seen employers agree to contracts with substantial wage increases in recognition of the impact that inflation has had on employees’ cost of living,” said Ed Malaga, president of the union. “The music world is no different.“

In a joint statement, Kennedy Center and NSO officials announced the cancellation of Saturday’s season opener and pledged automatic refunds to customers. 

They said they were “disappointed” and warned that the strike could disrupt other events. 

“The Kennedy Center remains committed to working in good faith toward a fair contract that will enable the institution to shape its future in a way that is both responsible and economically sustainable,” the statement read.

The strike is the 90-member orchestra’s first in 46 years. It comes after months of contract negotiations with Kennedy Center officials stalled over musicians’ complaints that they earn less than orchestra members in New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Philadelphia.

Union members voted unanimously last week to authorize the strike and distributed leaflets to patrons attending three Sara Bareilles concerts this week. 

In the latest round of negotiations, Kennedy Center officials said they offered musicians a contract that would raise their pay by 13% over the next four years. It includes improved medical coverage and paid parental leave. 

That deal would bump up the minimum base salary of musicians from $159,000 to $180,593 annually.

It would cost the center $8 million out of an estimated $50 million to $60 million annual budget for the NSO.

The musicians say that’s not enough. They have demanded a 25% increase, pointing to a 15% decline in real wages over the past five years and income lost during 18 months of pandemic closures when the center paid them 65% of their salaries.

In a statement Tuesday, the Kennedy Center said it “had zero earned ticket income” during the shutdown and that the musicians’ demands were “not financially viable” in light of projected revenue through 2028.

The contract dispute comes as hundreds of thousands of unionized medical, entertainment, education, transportation and service industry workers have secured higher wages by walking off the job since the end of pandemic restrictions — examples that the musicians’ union has cited to justify their strike. 

“We had no choice but to take this action to ensure that the National Symphony keeps pace with our peer orchestras so that we can continue to attract and retain the best musicians in the world,” said Jennifer Mondie, a viola player and chair of the musicians’ bargaining committee.