New York Philharmonic Musicians Reach New Labour Deal Including 30% Raise

David Geffen Hall (Photo: Ajay Suresh/Wikipedia)

This week, members of the New York Philharmonic agreed to a new labour deal, raising their base pay to $205,000 USD. They will now be among the highest paid orchestras in the United States.

What’s happening: On September 19th, New York Philharmonic musicians reached a new labour deal. Members of the Philharmonic began their season by protesting for higher wages. The players had not had a raise since 2019, and were paid significantly less than musicians in orchestras including the Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, and Los Angeles Philharmonic. The orchestra has negotiated a 30% raise over the next three years, putting their base salary at $205,000 USD—amongst the highest for orchestral musicians in the US.

The backstory: Recent days have been challenging for the NYPhil. This season, a ground-breaking article in New York Magazine exposed the orchestra’s poor handling of a sexual assault case against associate principal trumpetist Matthew Muckey and principal oboist Liane Wang in 2010, leading to expensive law suits and criticism. In July, the orchestra’s new CEO Gary Ginstling suddenly resigned.

The New York Philharmonic is the oldest orchestra in the United States. It has a $237 Million USD endowment and an annual budget of $90 Million USD. In 2026, Gustavo Dudamel will join the NYPhil as its new music director. Hopefully this new deal augurs winds of change for the legendary orchestra.

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Sara Schabas

Sara Schabas is a Dora-nominated soprano, writer and yoga teacher. She has performed and created leading roles with companies including Vancouver Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, the Dayton Opera, and Aspen Opera, and is a former member of Barbara Hannigan’s Equilibrium Young Artists. Currently based in Montreal, she is a doctoral student at McGill University — where she recently received the Wirth Vocal Prize — and editor of Art Song Canada magazine.