And no wonder so many cellists have (Casals, Rostropovich, Toscanini, etc.).
James Levine made $3.5 million last year, according to this Boston Globe article. Lorin Mazzel almost $2 million, just from the NY Philharmonic. A little guest conducting here and there, and you’re talking some real money.
And you don’t have to buy an extra airplane seat for a baton, unlike so many professional cellists who buy a ticket for their cellos to insure it arrives at the right place, at the right time, in one piece.
Wow, that’s quite the contrast to the job listings on violinist.com the other day:
http://www.violinist.com/blog/Darcylewis/20067/5512/
Just remember the difference between an orchestra and a bull.