SPCO and Local Development

Yesterday I received my season pass to the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO). For 5 bucks a month, I have access to as many concerts as I want throughout the season.  This season the SPCO is performing multiple productions of Beethoven and Vivaldi's Four Seasons, so I thought this would be a good deal.

However, over the past couple months the SPCO and its musicians are embroiled in a difficult negotiation that threatens the start of the season.  The musicians are considered full-time, even though the season is 10 months long.  According to the StarTrib, the situation is as follows:

"For five decades, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra has touted itself as the only full-time chamber orchestra in the United States -- a prestigious ensemble noted for its international touring, recordings and Grammy Awards.

But in tough labor talks that seek $1.5 million in annual savings, the SPCO is reconsidering whether it can keep its musicians at full-time.

Details of the negotiations, which began in April, have dribbled out and reveal far-reaching proposals to trim the SPCO's annual expenses, which totaled $10.9 million last year. The board's initial proposal called for reducing guaranteed workweeks for most musicians to 20 weeks per year, and in some cases to 15 weeks per year.

Facing declining revenue and flat attendance, the Minnesota Orchestra is going through similar negotiations with its musicians this summer. That organization reported a $2.9 million deficit last fiscal year and is embarking on a $50 million building project."

I was thinking that these skilled musicians deserve to be paid well due to their high amount of skill and they were perhaps being paid $40K a year for their work.  Well, according to the StarTrib, I was wrong.

When musicians signed a five-year deal in June 2007, they were promised that minimum annual salaries would increase to $78,223 by now. Recessionary pressure, reductions in contributed income and foundation money forced concessions that reduced those numbers significantly. According to the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians, the SPCO minimum was $66,700 for a 37-week season.

Under the current management offer, a comparable figure would be about $56,000 -- based on 35 weeks at a $1,600 weekly minimum. A significant part of the discrepancy results from a management proposal to eliminate pay during the off-season.

This news changed my perspective a great deal.  If one can receive a $56K salary for 10 months of work in this economy, it's a good deal.  There are many lawyers in town that would like a $56K salary, let me tell ya.  If the musicians reject such an offer, I will be very disappointed.

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I took a small walk around my condo this evening to take a look at the significant construction going on in the surrounding blocks.    Around the building, there is a light rail stop, an apartment building, a Lunds grocery store and a city park being developed within a 1 block radius of the condo building.  So I decided to take a few pictures.

Here's a picture of the future light rail stop on Cedar and 10th in Saint Paul:

Here's a sign noting the half block city park being built, Pedro Park.

Here's the apartment building, the Penfield, being built across the street from me.  It'll be a 250 unit building.

Here's the side of the Penfield where the Lund's grocery story will be built.  The first commercial grocery store in downtown Saint Paul.

With all this development, will it help the value of my residence?

All we can say is stay tuned.