Contract Negotiations

The decision by Cleveland Orchestra musicians and their union to strike has resulted in the cancellation of the concert scheduled for September 26 at Severance Music Center.

The two parties have been at the bargaining table since July and have made progress on many issues that are important to our musicians, like parental leave, workload, touring, and hiring practices. The musicians’ collective bargaining agreement expired on August 30. On September 2, the Orchestra and the union agreed to extend the agreement through September 23 while negotiations continued.

Despite our clear statement at the negotiating table that the latest offer we presented was far from being our final offer, the union refused to present a counterproposal on salary and instead decided to strike. The union demanded 25 percent in total salary increases over three years, which is simply not sustainable for the institution.

The Cleveland Orchestra’s administration remains committed to negotiating in good faith with the union to develop an agreement that ensures musicians’ compensation remains competitive with their peers in the other great orchestras around the world while protecting our future.

More negotiation sessions are scheduled for later this week.

To our guests, we are saddened to be forced to cancel scheduled concerts and regret the inconvenience. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to welcoming you back to Mandel Concert Hall soon.

Our pledge: Keep bargaining in good faith.

Frequently Asked Questions:

General

Will my upcoming Cleveland Orchestra concert still take place?

The strike by the musicians of The Cleveland Orchestra means the concert scheduled for September 26 at Severance Music Center has been canceled and will not be rescheduled. In addition, The Cleveland Orchestra’s concert for September 25 at the University of Michigan has also been canceled.

At this time no other performances have been canceled.

How will I know if a performance is canceled?

Ticketholders will be notified via email if future Cleveland Orchestra performances are canceled by the musician work stoppage. Information will also be available at clevelandorchestra.com/negotiations.

What happens to my ticket if my performance is canceled?

Guests with tickets to the canceled concert at Severance Music Center can obtain a refund for the value of the tickets or exchange the tickets for any future Cleveland Orchestra performance during the 2026–27 season.

Ticketholders should contact the Severance Music Center Ticket Office at 216-231-1111. The ticket office is open weekdays 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Will performances by guest artists or other ensembles at Severance Music Center still take place?

Yes, all other events at Severance Music Center, including Zade Dirani Live in Concert on October 1, Hispanic Heritage Month Community Celebration on October 3, Thee Phantom & The Illharmonic Orchestra on October 10, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis on October 16, and the Halloween Spooktacular on October 25, will take place without interruption.

Where can I find the latest information about the labor negotiations?

The Cleveland Orchestra is dedicated to providing our patrons with the most up-to-date information about this situation. Patrons are encouraged to check back to this webpage for updates.

What happens next?

The Association is ready to resume meeting with the union immediately and continue bargaining toward an agreement that recognizes the extraordinary contributions of our musicians while protecting the long-term artistic and financial strength of The Cleveland Orchestra. We hope the union will return to the table so that an agreement can be reached and performances can resume as soon as possible.

Compensation and the Bargaining Process

Why are The Cleveland Orchestra musicians on strike?

The central issue separating the negotiating parties is compensation. At the September 21 negotiating session, the musicians’ union sought salary increases totaling 25 percent over three years and indicated that a strike would be on if the Musical Arts Association did not agree to that proposal. The Association cannot responsibly support an increase of that magnitude, but made clear that it was prepared to continue negotiating and had additional room to improve its latest compensation offer. Despite that willingness to continue discussions, the union initiated a strike.

How much is The Cleveland Orchestra’s Endowment Fund? Why can’t the Musical Arts Association take funds from its endowment to fund additional salary increases for the Musicians?

As of June 30, 2026, the endowment’s value stood at $365 million. The Association already prudently draws from its endowment annually to help funds operations. Last fiscal year, it drew $13.6 million, which covered 20 percent of total operating expenses.

An endowment is meant to exist for perpetuity and most donations to it only permit spending a portion of the investment gains.

Investment gains need to cover both the annual draw and inflation, so that the endowment maintains its purchasing power. Not following this widely held discipline would result in the annual draw funding a decreasing percentage of total operating expenses.

Have the parties had sufficient time to negotiate?

The parties have held 11 negotiating sessions since July. By comparison, negotiations for the two previous three-year agreements averaged 15 sessions.

The Association is ready to continue bargaining in good faith and believes additional negotiations can produce a fair and sustainable agreement.

Is it unusual for negotiations to continue beyond a contract’s expiration date?

No. Most negotiations for new three-year agreements during this century have continued beyond the expiration of the preceding contract. In some instances, negotiations continued for more than four months following the expiration of the prior agreement.

The expiration of an agreement does not mean that the bargaining process has failed or that the parties cannot reach an agreement. The Association believes there remains a path to a fair and sustainable contract through continued negotiations.

What is the current minimum salary for a Cleveland Orchestra musician?

The current minimum guaranteed salary is $165,516 annually. That figure represents the minimum guaranteed salary, not what most musicians actually earn. Nearly all musicians receive additional compensation through provisions such as overscale, string overscale, and seniority pay.

What would the Union’s current wage proposal mean?

The Union is proposing total salary increases of 25 percent over a new three-year agreement.

That would increase annual compensation – minimum annual guaranteed salary and other compensation to more than $206,000, not including overscale, string overscale, and seniority pay, for nearly every musician.

The Association recognizes that the musicians are extraordinary artists who deserve to be compensated at the highest levels of their profession. It must also ensure that any agreement is financially sustainable throughout the contract and beyond.

What compensation increases did musicians receive under the previous agreement?

During the previous three-year agreement, musicians received annual guaranteed salary increases of 4 percent, 3 percent and 3 percent, along with a $5,000 signing bonus.

That signing bonus was equivalent to approximately 3.25 percent of the first year’s minimum salary.

What time off and retirement benefits do musicians receive?

In addition to salary and other forms of compensation, an amount equal to 8 percent of the minimum salary is contributed to each musician’s individual 403(b) retirement account. While musicians contribute to their retirement savings it is not required to receive the Association’s 8 percent contribution.

Musicians also receive a minimum of 10 weeks of paid vacation annually. These benefits are part of the overall economic package provided by the Association and should be considered alongside salary when evaluating total compensation.

Is a 25 percent increase necessary to retain Cleveland Orchestra musicians and keep attracting the best musicians in the world to the Orchestra?

No. The base salary of the Cleveland Orchestra musicians is highly competitive. When factoring in Cleveland’s cost of living, the Cleveland musician’s salary is routinely considered to be the highest in the industry. In fact, The Cleveland Orchestra has not lost musicians to other orchestras over compensation issues, and as recently as this past year, six of the best orchestra musicians in the United States and beyond accepted key positions in the Cleveland Orchestra.

Health and Safety

How is the Association addressing workload and overuse concerns among string players?

The Association recognizes that vacancies in string sections can increase the workload placed on the musicians serving in those sections. Therefore, it’s proposed additional relief time for section string players affected by sustained vacancies.

What additional relief has the Association proposed for the 2026–27 season?

The Association has proposed one additional week of relief for all section string players in the violin, viola, and cello sections, each of which currently has at least one vacancy.

How would the Association’s proposal address vacancies in future seasons?

Beginning with the 2027–28 season, the Association has proposed an additional week of relief for section string players in any string section that has two vacancies for a majority of the season.

For affected musicians, this would increase the total number of weeks off from 10 to 11. The proposal creates ongoing relief when sustained vacancies place additional demands on a section.

Healthcare

What is the Musical Arts Association proposing?

The Association is proposing an HSA-qualified health plan that preserves comprehensive medical coverage while providing an Association-funded Health Savings Account to every eligible musician who enrolls.

The proposal is designed to protect the quality of the musicians’ healthcare, make the benefit sustainable over the long term, and use the Association’s healthcare resources more effectively.

Does the proposed plan reduce the quality or scope of musicians’ healthcare coverage?

No. The proposal preserves comprehensive medical coverage, preventive care at no cost, access to quality providers, and strong protection against significant in-network medical expenses.

The plan changes how some healthcare expenses are paid, but the Association would significantly fund an HSA for every eligible musician who enrolls. Any unused HSA funds remain the musician’s, roll over from year to year, and can be used for future healthcare expenses.

Why is a change necessary?

The current plan is exceptionally comprehensive, but its design has become increasingly expensive and difficult to sustain. The unusually rich structure of the benefits also has resulted in fewer insurance carriers offering to carry the plan, thus reducing competition and increasing costs.

The proposed plan would preserve excellent healthcare coverage through a structure that is more sustainable and more attractive to insurers. It would also help the Association maintain a competitive overall compensation package by allowing healthcare savings to be reapplied to musician wages.

The objective is not to spend less on musicians. It is to direct more of the Association’s resources toward benefits and compensation that provide musicians with lasting value.

What are the benefits of a Health Savings Account?

The Association would fund an HSA for every eligible musician who enrolls in the plan. The account and the funds in it belong to the musician.

Unused funds roll over from year to year, may earn interest or investment returns, and remain with the musician upon retirement or departure from the Orchestra. Musicians can use the funds for current qualified medical expenses or allow the balance to grow for future healthcare needs.

HSAs also provide significant federal tax advantages. Employer contributions are generally not taxable to the musician, earnings accumulate tax-free, and withdrawals for qualified medical expenses are tax-free. Eligible musicians may also make their own pre-tax contributions.

The HSA converts part of the Association’s healthcare spending into a tax-advantaged, portable asset owned by the musician.

Is the healthcare proposal final?

No. The proposal remains subject to collective bargaining.

At the union’s request, the Association agreed to share the cost of an independent healthcare consultant selected by the union. That review is underway. The Association welcomes the consultant’s analysis and remains prepared to work with the union to refine the proposal and reach a fair, competitive, and sustainable agreement at the bargaining table.

Musician Hiring

What role do musicians have in selecting new members of the Orchestra?

Musicians have an important and direct role in the audition process through their service on Audition Committees. Committee members evaluate candidates throughout the audition and participate in determining which candidates advance to subsequent rounds.

The Music Director, as the institution’s artistic leader, has final responsibility for appointing musicians to the Orchestra, but that decision follows a process involving substantial participation and input from the musicians serving on the Audition Committee.

How do candidates advance through the preliminary rounds?

All rounds of Cleveland Orchestra auditions take place behind a screen. During the preliminary rounds, each member of the Audition Committee and the Music Director votes individually on whether a candidate should advance.

A candidate receiving one or more affirmative votes advances to the next round. This gives every committee member the ability to ensure that a candidate receives further consideration.

How is the final audition decision made?

The final round is evaluated through discussion rather than a formal vote. The Music Director and all members of the Audition Committee discuss the candidates and the potential outcome of the audition.

The Music Director retains final authority and responsibility for the appointment, consistent with the Music Director’s artistic leadership role, after hearing and considering the Audition Committee’s input.