Musicians struggling with 20% pay cut

By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

•	Honolulu Symphony Orchestra Number of members: 63 Full time, 20 part time Base pay, 2003-04: $30,345 for 34 weeks Base pay, 2004-05: $24,120 for 30 weeks Contract concessions: 20 percent pay reduction; reduction in pension from 8 percent to 6 percent; reduction in working weeks from 34 to 30; no reduction in the number of performances per season

But after a lifetime of honing his art, after earning degrees in musical performance from two of the top programs in the country, and after securing one of a minuscule number of full-time tuba positions in the country, he surely expected more than this.

"We'll basically have to cut down on everything now," said Saltzman as he evaluated his finances in light of a new agreement between the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra and its musicians. He and his wife "live in a small, two-bedroom apartment now. We'll definitely have to go one-bedroom."

The musicians agreed to a 20 percent pay cut and reduction in pension benefits next year, along with a pay freeze the following year to help the orchestra get out from under a $1 million debt. The orchestra's top administrators and other staff will also take a 20 percent pay reduction.

"We're enormously appreciative of what they are doing," says Lynne Johnson, head of the Honolulu Symphony Foundation, the fund-raising arm that administers the orchestra's endowment. "Everyone's goal is for them to be able to live here and make a decent living."

By agreeing to across-the-board cuts, the musicians were able to keep the core of 63 full-time musicians intact next year. But the economic impact on individuals like Saltzman, who like most of his peers already supplements his income by playing outside gigs and teaching, is potentially devastating.

"It's already difficult for us all, just in general," Saltzman said. "With the cuts, it will be extra hard."

Saltzman is typical of the orchestra's well-educated, seasoned professionals. Originally from New York, he started playing tuba in the fifth grade, earned a bachelor's degree in musical performance from Indiana University and spent a year in a master's program at the University of Michigan before landing a job with the Honolulu Symphony in 1997. (He recently completed his master's at the prestigious Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore.)

"For tuba players, there are only 51 full-time jobs in the country," Saltzman says. "So I was very excited — thrilled — to get the chance to play with an orchestra as a full-time job. It's what tons of musicians dream of doing."

Still, with a starting salary of just $20,800 a year, Saltzman knew he'd have to find time for more than just a full-time job.

Requirements deceptive

Symphony orchestra musicians are hired to spend 20 hours a week in rehearsals and performances, but that figure is somewhat deceptive. Saltzman compares professional orchestral musicians to professional athletes. Each performance is built on a foundation of hours and hours of personal practice time.

"There's prep time, listening, warm up, cool down," he said. "We have to literally practice and stay in shape to perform at a high level."

Saltzman said he spends an average of four to five hours a day practicing. He uses the rest of his time, including his one day off per week under the contract, teaching or playing outside gigs to make ends meet.

In addition to teaching students individually at the University of Hawai'i, Saltzman also plays with the Honolulu Brass Quintet and takes on whatever performance work comes his way.

During the summer, when the orchestra is inactive and many students go away, Saltzman collects unemployment compensation — less than half of his regular weekly pay. "It's barely enough to cover the rent," he said.

Still, Saltzman considers himself lucky because his wife, Barbara, also contributes to the family income. She works part-time at the Cancer Research Center of Hawai'i while finishing up a doctorate in epidemiology. Saltzman said he and his wife's combined income this year will be about $40,000.

The couple's difficult financial situation has put many of their future plans in doubt. "We don't have kids yet, and this will certainly affect that" decision, Saltzman said. "It's scary enough bringing a child into the world. I never expected to be rich playing the tuba, but it would be nice not to worry about whether you can put a meal on the table or a roof over your head."

Saltzman's worries are echoed throughout the orchestra.

Several musicians said they had been led to believe that the organization's financial health was improving. A few even felt secure enough to invest in new homes.

"We're furiously angry and depressed," said violinist Katherine Hafner. "We feel betrayed.

Hafner's husband, Ken, a trumpet player, said the orchestra adjourned at the end of last season assured by management that the financial situation was under control. "Then we got a letter in August saying that we were in trouble," he said.

Compromised future plans

Like their fellow musicians, the Hafner's have seen their plans for the future compromised. They recently refinanced their home, and they face expenses tied to sending a son to the University of Chicago, where he is in his first semester.

"He qualified for financial aid, but it doesn't cover everything, and it's still a large bill," Katherine Hafner said. "It's a lot of money, so we sat down and figured out how much we were going to have to pay. That was last spring, when we thought we knew what our income was.

"Our income situation, even in the best times, is tenuous and unpredictable," she said.

Katherine Hafner said the decision to take a pay cut wasn't much of a decision at all.

"We could do this over the course of a year, or we could do it tomorrow," she said. "We agreed to this because it gives us more time to think about what we're going to have to do to rearrange our lives."

The Hafners have both been with the orchestra for 23 years, and they're accustomed to making sacrifices.

Katherine Hafner had just given birth to the couple's older son when she joined the orchestra as a part-time player. It was several years before she was retained full time.

The Hafners also are well familiar with the orchestra's tumultuous history with the Musicians Association of Hawai'i, Local 667, a history that includes strikes in 1986 and 1990, and the cancellation of the 1993-94 season. "It was absolutely the same feeling this time around," Ken Hafner said.

The Hafners said they are devoted to their profession and fellow musicians, but they're not sure what more they can do to stay afloat.

On the morning the couple spoke with The Advertiser, Katherine Hafner had already given a half-hour lesson to one of her violin students, and she and her husband were preparing for their regular 2 1/2-hour morning rehearsal with the orchestra. Their schedule for the rest of the day included more private lessons from 2 to 5:30 p.m. and another rehearsal from 7 to 9:30 p.m.

"One day like this is easy enough to get through," said Ken Hafner, who also offers his services for weddings, theatrical productions and gigs with the Honolulu Brass Quintet. "But every day? It's difficult. And we've been doing this for years."

Just getting around takes a bit of coordination these days, too. The Hafners have been sharing their 18-year-old Toyota Camry since their 12-year-old Previa blew a gasket.

"I don't know when we'll ever be able to get that fixed," Hafner said.

Saltzman just hopes the musicians' sacrifice won't be for nothing.

"I support the decision, but I'd rather see them spend money to make money as opposed to cutting costs to save money," he said. "I don't think things improve that way.

"I think all of this will be worth it if it comes to something — if it leads to financial stability for the symphony and we can build up our endowment," he said. "But if we sacrificed this and nothing changes, it was not worth it."

Biting the bullet

Board member Johnson said eliminating the orchestra's running debt was necessary to demonstrate the organizations financial viability to potential donors.

"People will only donate money if they feel the organization they're supporting is financially stable," she said. "Because we were able to balance (the budget), there is a really good chance that we can now double or triple the size of our endowment."

The organization's endowment stood at $5.5 million, well below that of other similarly sized symphonies, during contract discussions. Once the agreement was reached, three individual donors made good on their promise to donate $2.1 million.

"Our No. 1 priority is to survive, to stay alive," Johnson said. "The No. 2 priority to is to be financially stable. It's a very difficult thing being a musician, and we truly appreciate what they (the musicians) are doing to help make sure that we are able to survive as a symphony. I hope they can hang in there."