The Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra is stringing together a promising future for its orchestral mission.  

Since 1947, the instrumental showcases have bonded the Baton Rouge community through sound, experience and education. And recently, the ratification of an updated collective bargaining agreement (CBA) after 16 years ensures the group’s artistic vision for four more.  

“Not only did we take the time to discuss new policies and procedures, but we also worked to ensure every word of the new CBA is working towards the highest industry standards,” Marshall Carby, BRSO executive director, says.

The result is a pay raise, travel compensation, updated concert attire, working rules and audition guidelines that reflect the deep-rooted respect for and prioritization of Baton Rouge’s musicians. The new CBA aligns BRSO’s wages with orchestras of comparable size.   The collaborative effort between members of BRSO administrative leadership, BRSO Players’ Association and the New Orleans Musicians’ Mutual Protection Union lasted nearly a year. But the hard work paid off, and the new contract will remain in effect until June 30, 2030.  

“The Baton Rouge community can count on continuing to experience the highest level of live concert music from some of Louisiana’s finest musicians,” Rafael Galvan Herrera, BRSO associate principal viola and chair of the orchestra committee, says.