Kennedy Center’s opening gala is back on after musicians strike ends with a new deal

WASHINGTON – The Kennedy Center and the union representing musicians in the National Symphony Orchestra have come to an agreement on a short-term contract after a brief strike that threatened to derail Saturday’s season-opening gala.

The DC Federation of Musicians, local 161-710 of the American Federation of Musicians, went on strike Friday following the Sept. 2 expiration of its collective bargaining agreement, forcing the Kennedy Center to announce the cancellation of its gala. But within hours, the Kennedy Center announced that an 18-month labor agreement had been agreed upon, and Saturday’s concert and the rest of the 2024-25 season will proceed as scheduled.

The short-term contract “will provide all parties time to come together to settle a longer-term agreement that demonstrates our respect for their artistic contributions and maintains the orchestra’s competitiveness in the field,” the Kennedy Center said in a statement.

The NSO season at the Kennedy Center kicks off Saturday night with music director Gianandrea Noseda conducting a program that includes pianist Yunchan Lim. The previous deal originally was a four-year contract through the 2022-23 season, but was extended by one year during the pandemic.

The new holding agreement will increase wages by 4% in the first year and 4% in the second year with negotiations on a longer-term deal to commence in early 2026. The contract will bring the base salary for musicians to $165,268 and then $171,879.

The Kennedy Center statement said the agreement will allow the NSO musicians to “retain their position as one of the highest compensated orchestras in the country.”