Compensation Reports Are On Their Way

Adaptistration People 079The 2015 Orchestra Compensation Reports are in the process of wrapping up. Initially, they were scheduled to be published this week but an unusually large number of requests for clarification in order to get all the necessary pieces of the puzzle in place have slowed the process down enough to justify the small delay.

Another item that has slowed things down a bit is the inclusion of few new groups this year that managed to cross over the minimum Total Expenditure threshold needed in order to be included in the review.

Nonetheless, here are a few items of interest to tie you over until next week.

  • For the first time in several years, we had not only one, but two new entries included in the list of concertmasters earning enough to be reported in the IRS Form 990 (Alabama Symphony and Nashville Symphony).
  • There’s a new all-time high for CEO compensation.
  • Average change formulas are going to be presented a few different ways for this report thanks to a number of work stoppage anomalies impacting cumulative data (Minnesota Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Indianapolis Symphony).

Is there anything in particular you’re curious about?

About Drew McManus

"I hear that every time you show up to work with an orchestra, people get fired." Those were the first words out of an executive's mouth after her board chair introduced us. That executive is now a dear colleague and friend but the day that consulting contract began with her orchestra, she was convinced I was a hatchet-man brought in by the board to clean house.

I understand where the trepidation comes from as a great deal of my consulting and technology provider work for arts organizations involves due diligence, separating fact from fiction, interpreting spin, as well as performance review and oversight. So yes, sometimes that work results in one or two individuals "aggressively embracing career change" but far more often than not, it reinforces and clarifies exactly what works and why.

In short, it doesn't matter if you know where all the bodies are buried if you can't keep your own clients out of the ground, and I'm fortunate enough to say that for more than 15 years, I've done exactly that for groups of all budget size from Qatar to Kathmandu.

For fun, I write a daily blog about the orchestra business, provide a platform for arts insiders to speak their mind, keep track of what people in this business get paid, help write a satirical cartoon about orchestra life, hack the arts, and love a good coffee drink.

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