A Symphony Musician's Salary
Professional symphony players are master musicians who perform and tour with renowned orchestras. The role involves intense dedication to both a player's personal instrument and to the symphony itself. Hours can be irregular depending on rehearsal and performance schedules, and travel can be extensive.
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Salary Range
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According to 2010 figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, professional musicians earn an average hourly salary of $30.22 per hour. This equates to an average annual rate of $62,858. Professional symphony musicians earn approximately 30 percent more than this national average, according to a 2008 salary survey by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Players' Committee, which places the average weekly salary amongst full-time players in major U.S. symphony orchestras at $1,914, or $99,515 per year.
Factors Affecting Salary
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Ability, experience and geographic location are the primary factors affecting the salary rate of professional symphony musicians. Many musicians hone their skills with lesser-known orchestras or on a volunteer basis with community orchestras before auditioning for professional roles. Pay at the nation's more esteemed symphony orchestras in major cities tends to be significantly higher than that at lesser-known symphonies in the country's more rural states.
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Notable Salaries Nationwide
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Musicians employed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra earn the highest base salary among professional symphony musicians in the United States, according to 2008 figures. BSO musicians earn an average pay rate of $2,360 per week, resulting in an annual salary of $122,720 per year. Players employed by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra earn an annual mean salary of $75,600, some 25 percent less than the average weekly salary amongst full-time major U.S. orchestra players.
Relevant Background and Skills
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While there is no established, conventional path of education or professional development for aspiring professional symphony musicians, nearly all receive some formal training in their instrument, either through the attainment of a bachelor's level degree in composition, music theory or a related field. Professional symphony musicians must possess an extensive knowledge of the aesthetic history of their instruments including its role in symphonic history, particularly given the fact that they are required to play compositions that span a wide variety of styles and music history.
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References
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