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Seattle Symphony

Is this your company?

Not great, not bad. - Anonymous employee Seattle Symphony Employee Review

2.0
7 Oct 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Flexible schedule, free tickets, artistic freedom encouraged.

Cons

Very little pay (less than other non-profits). No retirement contributions. They keep changing health insurance (which is also pretty terrible) every two years. Wage freeze since 2007 (no raises EVER). Cronyism. They don't advertise job openings and just keep shuffling people around. Very US and THEM in regards to upper management interacting with employees. Zero career growth. Questionable spending with money in regards to parties and events centered around the Conductor and Upper Management.

Explore other reviews about Seattle Symphony

5.0
2 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Musical benefits, great people to work with

Cons

Recent turnover at higher levels

3.0
1 Jul 2020
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Everyone believes in the power of music and has a genuine concern for their peers and colleagues. By and large everyone works hard and tries to make a supportive culture. There is real interest in equity initiatives and and leading the industry in progressive values. The criticism of the CEO on Glassdoor is baseless. The current CEO is trying really hard but was given an impossible situation. The hostility such as what's displayed in the comments below is likely rooted in unconscious bias.

Cons

There are very real problems. The top down leadership (inherent to the industry) doesn't align with the stated values of the organization. They have done some work to remove silos, but largely departments do not cross, to the detriment of the overall product in my opinion. Most crucially, finances are so weak that when crises and issues come up, they can frequently lose focus and place the burden of those crises on the most vulnerable staff members. It's a tough place to work overall, although that's not so different from any other arts organization who's susceptible to every economic shift.

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