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Pittsburgh Symphony

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Pittsburgh Symphony Reviews

2.6

38% would recommend to a friend

(25 total reviews)

Melia P. Tourangeau

16% approve of CEO

2% positive business outlook

Pittsburgh Symphony has an employee rating of 2.6 out of 5 stars, based on 25 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Pittsburgh Symphony employee rating is 33% below average for employers within the Arts, entertainment and recreation industry (3.9 stars).

Reviews by job title

25 reviews
2.0
15 Sept 2025

Career killer

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great musicians, a lot of skilled administrative colleagues

Cons

The pay is bad, even for a nonprofit in a low cost-of-living area. There are a lot of skilled administrators who start work here only to leave rapidly or burn out and leave the industry entirely. Because of a disconnect with senior leadership, administrators are set up to fail, which is a shame.

5.0
5 Apr 2025

great

Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

it is a great work environment

Cons

there are not really downsides

1.0
12 Dec 2024

Horrible Culture and Even Worse Leadership

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The music is fantastic and the learning & community / education programs are amazing. That team is woefully undervalued at the PSO and often scrutinized despite these programs being the main selling point for fundraising initiatives. That being said, hall management is the only safe department in the building, because the people who work there are genuine and kind and the senior leadership in that department is outstanding.

Cons

The CEO, COO, and most members of senior leadership actively perpetuate a culture that feels siloed, passive aggressive, performative, unsafe, and unprofessional. The COO and CEO will stand up in staff meetings and preach DEAI and a "One PSO" culture, and then on the way back from that same meeting make disparaging comments about employees with disabilities and mental health issues. The only HR professional in the building was overheard mocking an employee sharing their disability diagnosis in a meeting. Senior leadership also makes ageist comments about the younger generation of workers at the PSO. If you hate the phrase "that's the way we have always done it", don't work here. Senior leadership leads by example in demonstrating that transparent communication is frowned upon and anyone who communicates too openly with their direct reports are met with varying levels of retaliation. The culture is very demoralizing and employees are undervalued. The turnover rate is astronomical. You can find somewhere else to work in the arts for the same abysmal money.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 25 Reviews

Glassdoor has 29 Pittsburgh Symphony reviews submitted anonymously by Pittsburgh Symphony employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Pittsburgh Symphony is right for you.