ICSOM Secretary Laura Ross
Photo credit: James T Green
The 62nd annual ICSOM Conference, hosted by the musicians of the Oregon Symphony and Local 99, took place August 21–24 at the historic Benson Portland Hotel in downtown Portland, OR. Because many of our delegates, alternate delegates, guests and AFM and Local officers traveled such great distances, ICSOM invited attendees to both a welcome reception Tuesday evening in the hotel’s London Grill that features a hidden wine cellar, and an end of conference event Saturday evening in the hotel’s Crystal Ballroom.
Wednesday morning began with our traditional new delegate breakfast that also included a number of additional alternate delegates and orchestra members who were encouraged to attend this particular conference. This conference was Chairperson Keith Carrick’s (Utah Symphony) first since assuming office, and much of the conference agenda was dedicated to internal organizing and a workshop on sexual abuse with the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN).
The general session began with orchestra roll call and introduction of guests. Welcoming remarks were given by Oregon Symphony ICSOM Delegate Zach Galatis, Local 99 President Dana Rokosny, Oregon Symphony Music Director David Danzmayr, and Oregon Symphony President and CEO Isaac Thompson. These remarks were followed by brief officer reports by Secretary Laura Ross (Nashville Symphony), Treasurer Peter de Boor (Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra), and Senza Sordino Editor Mike Muszynski (Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra); a nominating committee report; a final address from President Paul Austin (Grand Rapids Symphony) who stepped down after the conference; and Keith Carrick’s first address as chairperson of ICSOM.
Since ICSOM is recognized as a player conference of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada, the AFM president or appointed International Executive Board (IEB) member in attendance is invited to speak to the conference. AFM President Tino Gagliardi’s brief address included an invitation to the AFM’s new Vice President from Canada Allistair Elliott—appointed after the sudden death of Alan Willaert—to offer some personal comments.
AFM International President Tino Gagliardi addressed the attendees of the 62nd ICSOM Conference
Photo Credit: Laura Ross
The Player Conferences Council leadership spoke in a panel discussion about issues their constituents face as regional and Canadian orchestra members, theater musicians, and recording musicians—ICSOM members face similar issues, such as the use of recorded replacement technology (KeyComp) that has the potential to replace pit musicians and the RMA’s campaign for legislation that assures that all musicians receive payments for their terrestrial radio broadcasts, something that is long overdue.
Between general business of the conference, Sarina Roher, president of the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (OFNHP) and secretary-treasurer of the Oregon AFL-CIO shared her experiences in a presentation entitled “Organizing Victories: Lessons Learned from a Portland Union Leader.” She touched on joining the union, advocating for herself and others, internal organizing, fighting for parity, and achieving a successful bargaining campaign; this was the first presentation during the conference tied to internal organizing and working on organizational culture change to make all our colleagues feel welcome in the workplace. The mixer that evening was hosted by Local 99 and was held at the Oregon Symphony’s new event space.
Attendees enjoy the mixer at the Oregon Symphony’s downtown space.
Photo Credit: Laura Ross
Following roll call Thursday morning (to which delegates responded by naming the instrument they play in their orchestra), and another round of nominations, it was time for a presentation by ICSOM Counsel Kevin Case. He began by focusing on some of the pitfalls of individually negotiated overscale, before moving on to address discipline, sexual harassment, just-cause termination, and the responsibilities of the employer and obligations of the union when considering workplace safety. It is the employers’ obligation under the law to provide a safe work environment, but there are obligations for the union as well, and assuring these are handled correctly will help determine how employees live with the results.
Delegates broke into four groups by orchestra budget size during lunch for discussion and, upon their return, heard reports on ICSOM communications (including the ICSOM Directory), the AFM Symphony and Opera Strike Fund, ICSOM’s online conductor evaluation program, and the Abe Torchinsky ICSOM Emeritus Program. This was followed by a presentation by Symphonic Services Division (SSD) Director Rochelle Skolnick entitled “Artistry and Accommodation: Assisting Colleagues at the Intersection of Artistic Discipline and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)”. She covered principles of artistic discipline and parameters of the ADA so committees and the union could help assist musicians seeking protections of the ADA, many of whom may be targeted for artistic dismissal without being provided possible accommodation to continue performing. She also walked through the history of artistic discipline and peer review, sharing some best practices for the peer review process. SSD ICSOM Wage Chart coordinator Laurence Hofmann then spoke about upcoming changes to the wage charts and the comparison portion of the site.
After a break, attendees heard from Sarah Hughes from Labor Notes, whose presentation included a number of small-group discussions. She highlighted initial organizing strategies and ideas to consider when trying to beat employee apathy, a common reason people decline to get involved. Following dinner, delegates, alternate delegates, and the governing board returned for a closed town hall session.
Friday morning began with a report by Florida Orchestra Delegate Anna Kate Mackle on current attempts by Eastern Music Festival faculty—who voted to unionize—to bargain their first collective bargaining agreement, followed by speeches to fill member-at-large positions. When Nicole Jordan (Philadelphia Orchestra) was elected as ICSOM’s new president on Thursday afternoon, a one-year member-at-large position became available, in addition to the two existing, previously announced member-at-large positions. Laura Ross was also re-elected on Thursday afternoon as ICSOM secretary, a position she has held since 2002. Balloting for member-at-large positions occurred seven times throughout Friday; the final outcome was that Rebecca Matayoshi (Hawai‘i Symphony) and Sharon Yamada (New York Philharmonic) were elected to two-year terms and Jack Latta (Grand Rapids Symphony) was elected to the one-year term.
“Beating Bullying Bosses” was the next Labor Notes presentation by Mark Brenner. He focused on “company” structure and talked about why a campaign to build community support can help achieve quicker action than waiting for resolution of an arbitration that may or may not lead to the desired outcome. In breakout groups, he encouraged attendees to hold one-on-one conversations in order to build their listening skills, and to build a fictional, escalating campaign of labor action that could inevitably end with a strike.
Mark Brenner presents a discussion of labor actions that can be taken by an organized labor unit
Photo Credit: Mike Muszynski
As all ICSOM orchestras are assigned to one of four members-at-large who are in touch periodically with their delegates throughout the season, the luncheon Friday provided a chance for all the orchestra delegates and their respective member-at-large to gather together to discuss issues of importance to their orchestras.
Jessica Schmidt, of Orchestrate Inclusion, attended the first couple days of the conference and incorporated many of the experiences shared in her presentation “Building Belonging in Orchestra Settings.” When speaking about DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion), a fourth category—Belonging—is now being addressed. Diversity is about representation, inclusion is about behavior, and belonging is a result of these two but is also about the importance of feeling welcome. She also examined power and identity dynamics, pointing out that this is life-long training, not just HR training, done so an orchestra can build a community where all individuals feel safe. Following this presentation, another closed town hall session was scheduled, while SSD staff, AFM and Local leaders had an opportunity to meet separately in another session.
On Saturday morning, once roll call (by the number of years delegates have served in their orchestras—totaling 776.5 collective years of service from those responding), conference attendees were introduced to Jessica St. Germaine and Rebecca Cásarez from RAINN, who led delegates and guests through a three-hour workshop to understand the complexities of sexual misconduct, examining the factors that contribute to and influence understanding of what each person may be going through. Videos demonstrating appropriate behavior and other issues were used—one particularly moving video began with women reading letters describing abuse and the feelings that followed, before revealing that they were written by men, who were received with empathy by the women reading their letters.
Many of our orchestras hold mandatory meetings about DEI and anti-harassment, yet too many are ineffective, mainly because the presentations feel like they are designed to check a box in order to fulfill the requirements of their liability insurance. Others complain that there is a failure to recognize that the orchestra’s workplace is very different from that of the staff so programs should be designed with that reality. In assembling this presentation, RAINN surveyed participants and tailored the presentation; the ICSOM governing board scheduled this workshop to demonstrate that effective workshops and discussions that can help change the culture within our orchestras are available. Our employers are responsible for ensuring we have a safe workplace; the hope is that orchestra committees will encourage employers to look for more meaningful and helpful advice and training workshops.
Following lunch, the final business of the conference was dealt with, including resolutions and bylaws amendments. To view a complete list of ICSOM Bylaw changes and adopted resolutions, follow this link.
Site selection for future conference bids were offered along with good and welfare thanks and final comments from newly elected President Nicole Jordan, and ICSOM Chairperson Keith Carrick before the conference was adjourned. The 2025 conference will be hosted by the musicians of The Cleveland Orchestra and Local 4 in Cleveland OH.
