You may get to Carnegie Hall through practice, but you get to walk away from Carnegie Hall with a half million a year by being a stagehand at the legendary venue.
Bloomberg News blows the lid off the shocking salaries that Carnegie doles out annually, saying that while "a star pianist can receive $20,000 a night... he or she would have to perform at least 27 times to match the income of Dennis O’Connell, who oversees props at the hall."
Indeed, O’Connell made $530,044 in salary and benefits last year, and the four other members of his full time team (including two carpenters and two electricians) each took home about $430,543. The site points out that the stagehands "benefit from a strong union: Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees." Stagehands at the hall do everything from move equipment to prep work on the three stages to operate audiovisual and sound fixtures, and only the Artistic and Executive Director, Clive Gillinson, makes more — earning a whopping $946,581 per year.
