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Vince Cichowicz's 2-day NET salary in 1954 (adjusted for 2026 inflation)
Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2026 6:56 pm
by bloke
about $2000 bucks in 2026 money.
Re: Vince Cichowicz's 2-day NET salary in 1954 (adjusted for 2026 inflation)
Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2026 8:24 pm
by sweaty
Interesting!
I had the great fortune of taking his Brass Performance and Pedagogy class at Northwestern. Great teacher and fine gentleman.
Re: Vince Cichowicz's 2-day NET salary in 1954 (adjusted for 2026 inflation)
Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2026 2:54 pm
by bort2.0
The way it usually goes:
* Not bad at all for 2 days!
* Nothing at all for the next 2 weeks.
Re: Vince Cichowicz's 2-day NET salary in 1954 (adjusted for 2026 inflation)
Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2026 3:01 pm
by bloke
bort2.0 wrote: Sat Mar 07, 2026 2:54 pm
The way it usually goes:
* Not bad at all for 2 days!
* Nothing at all for the next 2 weeks.
I was able to find some sources that estimated that the Chicago Symphony played 150 concerts back in the mid-1950s, including Ravinia summer concerts, which were already in force.
He left about the time that I finished high school and moved on to teach at Northwestern full-time. I'm guessing that it paid more and that it was easier on him. Today, any salary increases with orchestras don't cover inflation (certainly not the inflation that we suffered between 2021 and 2024), and some of the larger full-time orchestras have suffered pay decreases lately. More and more positions at colleges and universities are adjunct.