News from the BSO

Boston Symphony Hall

Photo by Lisa Hirsch

April, 2025

This dropped into my in-box a few hours ago:

A Joint Statement from the BSO and Our Musicians:

The Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Musicians’ Association, and the Musicians of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Reach New Collective Bargaining Agreement and Release the Following Joint Statement:

"Today, the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) musicians, the Boston Musicians’ Association, the BSO trustees and management approved a new collective bargaining agreement effective through August 26, 2029. 

This agreement marks an important step toward a more collaborative future for the BSO. It creates a precedent-setting partnership between musicians and management in artistic planning and centers excellence across all the work we do on our stages and in our communities. It also establishes a truly collaborative process in the search for our next music director. 

We are one institution of musicians, staff, and boards, committed to working together in partnership to advance our artistic mission, inspire audiences, and serve Boston, the Berkshires, and beyond. We want to thank our audiences, donors, and partners for your continued support of the BSO."

For more details, read the complete press release here.

Note that the press release has quotations from Chad Smith, President and CEO, and Barbara Hostetter, Chair of the BSO Board of Trustees, but nothing from the players' committee. I would have liked to see something from them.

Andris Nelsons, Further to Previous

The BSO released an update from Andris Nelsons on the matter of sexual harassment in the classical music world.  It's unfortunately a jpg or something; I can't find the text on the BSO web site's press section, but I will transcribe it below.

You can pretty much tell which sentence come directly from Legal and/or Public Relations:

During a recent interview with Jim Braude and Margery Eagan on WGH's Boston Public Radio I did not express myself as clearly as I would have liked when asked about the issue of sexual harassment in the classical music world. In my own experience working in the classical music industry for many years, I myself have not seen overt examples of sexual misconduct in my day-to-day work life. That being said, this kind of offensive behavior, unfortunately, takes places in all fields, including, of course, the classical music industry. All of us in the field must remain constantly vigilant and fight against all types of inappropriate and hurtful behavior, and continue the essential work of creating a fair and safe work environment for all classical musicians. Though involvement in music and the arts can't cure all the ills of society, I do believe that the inspiration they provide has the potential to help us reflect at times on the better angels of our natures. Or more simply put by Beethoven -- the genius composer of the Ode to Joy symphony, considered the universal anthem of brotherly/sisterly love -- "Music can change the world."

I have to say, this is pretty awful. Fake Beethoven quote; "I've never seen it myself", which is so often a way to cast doubt on those who have, and which is most easily said by powerful men whom nobody IS going to harass, and nobody will harass another in front of; unwarranted belief in the inherent goodness of a musical style; citation of a work that has a wide variety of associations; "I didn't express myself as clearly as I would have liked." No, you didn't; it's pretty clear that you believed what you originally said and had to be talked down.

Andris Nelsons Puts His Foot in His Mouth, Bigtime

Headline in the Boston Globe:

BSO’s Andris Nelsons says sexual harassment isn’t a problem in classical music

Nelsons made this ridiculous claim last week, on Boston's public radio station. He missed the stories about Dale Clevenger, former principal horn of the CSO; he must have missed the much more recent stories about harassment at Berklee College of Music in Boston (not primarily a classical music school, but still). And apparently he wasn't paying attention during the part of the his training as a new manager at the BSO that covered sexual harassment law. (If that wasn't covered, it should have been.)

By now, the BSO legal department has probably got him in their office explaining that just by making that statement, he created an environment in the orchestra where anyone being sexually harassed might be afraid to come forward, since their music director has said that it's just not a problem in classical music. And perhaps Kristine Opalais has had a word or two with him as well.