Hello, all,
I have experience with two performance halls attached to universities, one public and one private.
California State University Long Beach built the Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center during my tenure in the adjoining buildings of the Music Department. I helped them straighten out their mess with purchase orders during the process of getting set up, and when they began, they wanted me to be the piano technician for the three concert grands (two Steinway and one Baldwin, a donation from Richard Carpenter’s personal collection). It’s a 1000-seat hall with a large proscenium stage, full roadhouse fly space, big backstage shops and offices, green room, the whole works. Their staff members are school employees but the operations, including services like piano work, are run from a foundation.
But it wasn’t legal for me to simultaneously be paid as an employee and a contractor. Their solution was for us to estimate the time I would be spending there and “replace my time” with a lump sum to the Music Department which would cover, in my case, 45 practice room tunings twice per year. That worked well generally; some years a bit over and some a bit under. It was always the understanding that piano service there would include annual maintenance time. Actual amounts of time would vary with how busy the hall is and how many performances need piano.
Now that I am not a CSULB staff member, the CPAC work is an outright contract with a generous amount for annual (summer) maintenance, and a decent “street price” for each tuning. The amount I get for annual maintenance includes occasional service during the year, like voicing, for no extra charge up to 30 minutes per occurrence. It seems to suit us both fine.
Chapman University, a nearby private school, recently built an exceptional concert hall on its campus. The hall purchased two 9’ grands and one 7’. I became involved when one of the concert grands was selected locally, and I had set it up. The dealer sent me in when the pianos arrived in March of the ending year of construction, for the pianos’ first “in-home” tunings, and I met the two men managing the stage. They asked if I could continue tuning through the soft opening concerts in spring, and help them set someone up for a contract for the gala opening the next fall. I was able to help them out and get a nice contract set up for the subsequent technician. There was never any question of adding the concert tuning work there to the part-time contract tuners working in their music department.
Hope that helps; it never hurts to find out what is working, or not working, in other places.
Kathy
Original Message------
John-
That is big step, so congratulations- and good for you! You'll probably end up making more and working less. I don't know the specific details anymore, but I know the U of M has also resorted to an entirely contractual agreement with the guy who used to be full-time staff many years ago. I think there was some discussion about going back to at least part-time employment, but don't know how that worked out. All the best to you as you move on.
cheers,
d.
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Dennis Johnson, R.P.T.
Piano Technician
Music Dept.
St. Olaf College