Riccardo Muti is Highest Paid Music Director in the U.S.

American publicist Drew McManus of Adaptistration recently shared his findings of Music Director's salaries in the United States

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McManus used the orchestra’s IRS Form 990 for the 2018/2019 concert season. According to his list, the top earning conductors are as follows:

 

Riccardo Muti at the Chicago Symphony: $3,420,804

Gustavo Dudamel at the Los Angeles Philharmonic: $2,857,103

Michael Tilson Thomas at the San Francisco Symphony: $2,139,720

Andris Nelsons at the Boston Symphony: $1,787,000

Yannick-Nézet-Séguin at the Philadelphia Orchestra: $1,672,167

 

McManus did caveat that the numbers shown do not always convey a complete compensation picture. For example, he said "a music director may have had a large increase in salary because they were leaving a position and per terms of their contract, they may have received a sizeable severance or deferred compensation package."

He also makes no claim to the accuracy of information compiled and reported from external sources.