Amid a trying moment for the local orchestra, the Chicago Sinfonietta and the players’ union, the Chicago Federation of Musicians, have agreed to a new, one-year contract.
But that contract, announced Thursday, arrives with only one performance on the horizon as the Sinfonietta has abruptly halted concerts and educational programming and laid off administrative staff. The nearly 40-year-old group is known for championing diverse musicians and composers.
The players’ current three-year labor agreement was set to expire at the end of this month, and renewal was uncertain, given the Sinfonietta’s abrupt pause that started in the spring. Management calls it a “strategic renewal period” to focus on fundraising and sustainability planning.
“The agreement continues the long-standing collaborative labor relationship between the [Chicago Federation of Musicians] and the Chicago Sinfonietta, ensuring that a collective bargaining framework remains in place as the organization works to strengthen its financial foundation and chart its next chapter,” the union said in a statement.
BJ Levy, president of Chicago Federation of Musicians, Local 10-208 of the American Federation of Musicians, said Thursday that management bargained in good faith to reach the agreement, which includes a cost-of-living increase. “We’re pleased that we were able to get wage gains in this one-year period,” Levy said.
However, the 63 rostered musicians only get paid when they perform, which they haven’t done with the Sinfonietta since May.
The new agreement currently includes only one upcoming concert, to be held in January, in alignment with Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the group’s 40th anniversary. The Sinfonietta previously said it plans to present a fundraising event tied to MLK Day. However, the union noted Thursday that the concert has yet to be scheduled.
Sidney Jackson, Sinfonietta’s president and CEO said in a statement Thursday, “The Chicago Sinfonietta Board is pleased to have reached a short-term agreement with the Chicago Federation of Musicians. This will allow us time and flexibility to develop a longer-term plan to achieve programmatic success and financial sustainability.”
Manuel Martinez/Manuel Martinez/WBEZ
Sidney Jackson was appointed to lead the orchestra in 2025 and, after the spring’s layoffs, became the organization’s only full-time employee.
“The Chicago Sinfonietta Board is pleased to have reached a short-term agreement with the Chicago Federation of Musicians,” Jackson said in a statement Thursday. “This will allow us time and flexibility to develop a longer-term plan to achieve programmatic success and financial sustainability.”
“The Board of Directors and I are continuing to work through our strategic renewal plans for the coming season, including our approach around MLK. We don’t have additional details to share at this time, but we look forward to sharing more when our plans are finalized.”
In its decision to halt operations, the Sinfonietta cited financial hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement on its website, the group said, “The pandemic fundamentally changed audience behavior across the performing arts sector, and Chicago Sinfonietta was not immune.”
“Like many arts organizations, our audience numbers and contributions have not returned to pre-COVID levels. Over that same period, an overreliance on grant funding meant that other revenue streams weren’t developed enough to sustain the organization once those grants ran out,” the statement reads.
Public records show that the Sinfonietta received about $200,000 in grants from the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events between 2019 and 2025. Additionally, the group received $245,000 in grants from the National Endowment for the Arts from 2019 to 2024 for new commissions, performances and educational activities.
In recent years, under the Trump administration, the NEA — the nation’s preeminent arts funder — has canceled grants to organizations, including some in Chicago, and changed its grantmaking priorities, with a prohibition on using federal monies for programs supporting “diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) that violate any applicable federal anti-discrimination laws.”
Levy said those changes at the federal level present a particular concern for Sinfonietta players and the future of the orchestra, founded by distinguished Black conductor Paul Freeman.
“It was quite unique in that Maestro Freeman founded the orchestra and was an African American conductor of great note, so that’s what we’re particularly concerned about,” Levy said. “In light of the federal government’s outright attack on organizations that have a policy that is intended to promote underrepresented classes and include diversity, equity, inclusion in their mission statements.”
The union said it has received a commitment from the Sinfonietta to return to the table in March to negotiate for a new, three-year contract. The one-year deal is set to expire at the end of August 2027.
Courtney Kueppers is an arts and culture reporter at WBEZ.