Resolution thanking Martha Warrington
Whereas, Martha Warrington was a violist with the Oregon Symphony from 1984 until her retirement in 2021; and
Whereas, In 2012, Martha agreed to undertake the important task of re-designing the ICSOM website as part of ICSOM’s 50th anniversary, followed by her service as webmaster until 2022, when additional updates and redesign became necessary; and
Whereas, Martha’s insights and perspective added needed improvements to ICSOM’s website and also extended ICSOM’s message to an ever-widening audience, along with helping to provide expanded information and access to ICSOM’s delegates and member orchestras; and
Whereas, Much of the work she performed during her 10 years maintaining the ICSOM website was done at little or no cost to ICSOM; and
Whereas, Martha worked closely with new web designer Bert Witzel, from the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, to assure an easy transition to the new site before stepping away and embracing her retirement; therefore, be it
Resolved, That the officers and delegates to the 2023 ICSOM Conference extend their immense appreciation and thanks to Martha Warrington for the years of dedication in helping ICSOM continue to communicate effectively, and to wish her the very best as she explores photography, enjoys hiking, and spends time with her family during her retirement.
Resolution recognizing the passing of Melanie Burrell
Whereas, Melanie Burrell was a cellist with the Denver Symphony that later reorganized as the Colorado Symphony; and
Whereas, During her tenure with Denver/Colorado she served her orchestra as ICSOM delegate from 1971-84 and as the orchestra’s alternate delegate at the 1990 and 1991 Conferences; and
Whereas, Melanie went on to serve ICSOM in numerous leadership positions as the western orchestras regional vice-chair from 1973-81 (this position later changed to member-at-large), as ICSOM treasurer from 1981-84, as president from 1984-86 and also from 1988-90, the last after serving as ICSOM’s first female chairperson from 1986-88; and
Whereas, As chairperson she served on the AFM Work Dues Committee that recommended passage of the AFM bylaw requiring locals to provide legal representation during negotiations and arbitration proceedings—although the bylaw was ultimately modified to call for “competent” representation; and
Whereas, She passed away on March 3, 2023 at the age of 92; therefore, be it
Resolved, That the officers and delegates to the 2023 ICSOM Conference remember Melanie Burrell with gratitude for her outstanding advocacy on behalf of musicians in the United States and Canada.
Resolution honoring the passing of ICSOM Delegate Bob Rydel
Whereas, Bob Rydel served as third horn with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra for 30 years; and
Whereas, He was an incredible advocate for his orchestra, serving as an orchestra/negotiating committee member and committee chair, as a musician board representative, and as the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra ICSOM delegate; and
Whereas, Bob’s contributions far exceeded his committee service, as he also served as the Charlotte Symphony’s audio/recording engineer, as a youth orchestra coach, and as vice president of the Charlotte Musicians’ Association Local 342; and
Whereas, He was incredibly generous with his time and talents, serving his colleagues with devotion and passion; and
Whereas, Musicians around the country were stunned to hear of Bob’s sudden passing in June; therefore, be it
Resolved, That the officers and delegates to the 2023 ICSOM Conference offer their deepest sorrow and respect to the family of Bob Rydel and thank them for sharing this caring and dedicated colleague and friend who will be remembered and missed for his leadership and good work.
Resolution supporting the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) Strikes
adopted by unanimous consent
Whereas, The Writers Guild of America (WGA) declared a nationwide strike on May 2, 2023, and two months later on July 14, 2023, the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) declared its own national strike; and
Whereas, Both WGA and SAG-AFTRA are fighting for fair streaming residual payments and protection from abuse of their work and image through the use of artificial intelligence (AI); and
Whereas, Streaming and AI have the potential to drastically reduced wages and changed working conditions, making it more difficult to earn a living wage; and
Whereas, Along with WGA and SAG-AFTRA, the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM) also bargains with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers Association (AMPTA) over the wages, terms, and conditions for television and film; and
Whereas, Musicians—like television and screen actors, radio artists, and writers—make personal and unique contributions creating their art that, once recorded, have value that must be recognized and compensated; and
Whereas, ICSOM has long fought for fair pay and working conditions in the production of recordings and live performances; therefore, be it
Resolved, That the officers and delegates to the 2023 ICSOM Conference stand in solidarity with our colleagues in the WGA and SAG-AFTRA and wish them a swift and successful resolution to their ongoing strikes.
Resolution honoring Barbara Corbató
Whereas, Barbara Corbató, a violist with the Grand Rapids Symphony, was instrumental in creating and serving as ICSOM’s first administrator of the online Conductor Evaluation Program (CEP) for the past six years; and
Whereas, She worked closely with ICSOM delegates to send and receive CEP surveys directly to participating orchestra musicians, and prepared and sent survey results to ICSOM orchestra managers upon request; and
Whereas, Barbara was also ICSOM’s point of contact for CEP inquiries from OCSM and ROPA orchestras; and
Whereas, ICSOM’s online CEP is thriving today with 111 evaluations of 81 conductors; therefore, be it
Resolved, That the officers and delegates to the 2023 ICSOM Conference offer their heartfelt thanks and deep gratitude to Barbara Corbató for establishing and administering ICSOM’s online Conductor Evaluation Program.
Resolution thanking Ray Hair, Bruce Fife, and Jay Blumenthal
Whereas, Ray Hair served as president of Dallas-Fort Worth Professional Musicians’ Association Local 72-147 and Bruce Fife served as president of AFM Local 99 in Portland OR; and
Whereas, Jay Blumenthal served as financial secretary of Associated Musicians of Greater New York Local 802 in New York NY, had previously been a member of the New York City Ballet Orchestra and served as that orchestra’s ICSOM delegate, and served on the ICSOM Governing Board as member-at-large from 1999 to 2004; and
Whereas, These three gentlemen were all elected in 2010 to serve as international president (Ray Hair), international vice-president (Bruce Fife), and international secretary-treasurer (Jay Blumenthal) of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM); and
Whereas, During their tenure in office they made great strides in improving not only the financial health of the AFM, but also the wages, benefits, and working conditions of musicians working under national agreements across the United States and Canada; and
Whereas, At the 102nd AFM Convention in June 2023, all three individuals stepped down from their positions and were, in turn, granted the honorary title of emeritus; therefore, be it
Resolved, That the officers and delegates to the 2023 ICSOM Conference offer their gratitude for the work they have accomplished on behalf of AFM musicians across the United States and Canada these past 13 years and wish them all the best in all their future endeavors.
Resolution in support of AFM Legislative Action
Whereas, The American Federation of Musicians (AFM) consistently focuses on ways to improve the lives of its members, not only by negotiating better wages, benefits, and terms and conditions of employment, but also through legislative action and support; and
Whereas, At this time, important issues require action and support by ICSOM members: the Fair Share for Musicians Campaign (“Fair Share” Campaign) supporting passage of the American Music Fairness Act, S. 253 (AMFA), and the Performing Artist Tax Parity Act of 2023, H.R. 2871 (PATPA); and
Whereas, Passage of AMFA by the US Congress would: guarantee musicians new revenue streams for their creative work; ensure fair compensation to performers when their songs are played on terrestrial radio and to American artists when their songs are played on foreign stations; provide protection for public performance rights and royalties of songwriters, publishers, and musical copyright owners; and establish exemptions to assist small broadcasters and qualified public, college and other non-commercial stations; and
Whereas, PATPA would reform the United States Tax Code so the Qualified Performing Artist (QPA) tax deduction would apply to a larger group of taxpayers making their living as performing artists, having a profound and positive impact on members of ICSOM orchestras by raising the income threshold for the phaseout of the deduction from $16,000 to $100,000 annually; therefore, be it
Resolved, That the officers and delegates to the 2023 ICSOM Conference affirm on behalf of ICSOM’s member orchestras that they wholeheartedly support the Fair Share for Musicians Campaign (“Fair Share” Campaign), passage of the American Music Fairness Act (AMFA), and the Performing Artist Tax Parity Act of 2023 (PATPA); and be it further
Resolved, That ICSOM encourages all orchestra musicians to sign the petitions in support of the Fair Share Campaign (https://fairshareformusicians.org/petition/) and AMFA (https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/support-the-american-music-fainess-act-amfa), and to support the passage of PATPA by urging their legislators—particularly their Senators—to take appropriate action in supporting and encouraging passage of this important US Tax Code reform.
Resolution to thank Alberto Suarez
Whereas, Alberto Suarez joined the Kansas City Symphony in 2006 as principal horn; and
Whereas, During his tenure with the orchestra, Albert served as a member of the negotiating committee and as Kansas City Symphony’s ICSOM delegate, and was elected ICSOM member-at-large in 2021; and
Whereas, Albert served on the Artist Council for the National Alliance for Audition Support (NAAS) and helped in the creation of the NAAS Recommended Audition and Tenure Guidelines in 2020, and also served on ICSOM’s DEI Forum and as co-chair for the past two seasons; and
Whereas, Albert recently announced his plan to step down as member-at-large upon his acceptance of a full-time tenure-track faculty position at University of Missouri-Kansas City beginning this fall; therefore, be it
Resolved, That the officers and delegates to the 2023 ICSOM Conference thank Alberto Suarez for his service and dedication to ICSOM as member-at-large and as co-chair of the ICSOM DEI Forum and wish him every success in his teaching career and any future endeavors.
Resolution to thank Kenneth Thompkins
Whereas, Kenneth Thompkins won the position of principal trombone of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) under Neeme Jarvi in 1997, after holding positions in the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and The Florida Orchestra; and
Whereas, As a former participant in the DSO’s African American Orchestra Fellowship program, Ken remains a passionate mentor and advocate for DSO’s orchestra fellows and also advocates for increased diversity in all our orchestras; and
Whereas, Ken has served on various DSO committees including Artistic Advisory, Standing Audition, Review, Detroit Strategy, and the Mission of Values Task Force; he has participated in various DSO DEI initiatives; and he has served on the orchestra’s negotiating team—currently as chair; and
Whereas, In 2021 Ken was elected member-at-large on the ICSOM Governing Board, managing ICSOM’s Facebook presence on a daily basis and serving as co-chair of ICSOM’s DEI Forum; and
Whereas, Ken recently announced his intention to step down as member-at-large; therefore, be it
Resolved, That the officers and delegates to the 2023 ICSOM Conference thank Kenneth Thompkins for his service to ICSOM as member-at-large and as co-chair of the ICSOM DEI Forum and wish him every success in his career with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra as well as any future endeavors.
Resolution to thank Dan Sweeley
adopted by unanimous consent
Whereas, Dan Sweeley joined the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra horn section in 2000, having previously performed with the Dayton Philharmonic from 1994 through 2000; and
Whereas, He has served as the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra’s ICSOM delegate for 12 seasons and hosted a very successful ICSOM conference in 2017 that included an exciting excursion to the American side of Niagara Falls; and
Whereas, Dan has served ICSOM in a number of leadership capacities, beginning in 2016 as member-at-large, as a representative of ICSOM as third delegate to the 101st and 102nd AFM conventions in 2019 and 2023, as an active participant in supporting and sustaining ICSOM social media programs, and a gifted photographer who provided many of the conference photos displayed in the ICSOM website’s conference photo galleries; and
Whereas, Dan has announced his intention to step down from his duties as member-at-large on the ICSOM Governing Board at the end of this conference; therefore, be it
Resolved, That the delegates and officers to the 2023 ICSOM Conference offer Dan Sweeley their best wishes and thanks for his leadership and years of service to ICSOM and to orchestras across the country, and wish him the very best in all his future endeavors.
Resolution to honor and thank Meredith Snow for her leadership and to confer emeritus status
adopted by unanimous consent
Whereas, Meredith Snow was a member of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra viola section for three years before joining the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1986; and
Whereas, She began her service as the LA Phil’s ICSOM delegate during ICSOM’s 40th anniversary celebration at the Unity Conference in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in 2002, serving in that capacity until 2010; and
Whereas, In 2005 Meredith was elected to the position of member-at-large, adding a lively voice and attitude to the ICSOM Governing Board for 11 years; and
Whereas, In 2014 she and her colleagues also hosted a very successful ICSOM conference that included a performance of the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl; and
Whereas, In 2016 Meredith agreed to take up the mantle of ICSOM chairperson as only the second woman in its history to lead the conference; and
Whereas, During her tenure from 2016–2023 she was at the helm of conferences designed to focus on important and impactful issues in our industry, such as social justice and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and
Whereas, She led ICSOM through an unprecedented orchestra industry shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, while also dealing with personal tragedy, yet always with a smile and a message that we would persevere; and
Whereas, Meredith has announced her intention, following a term that was extended by an additional season during the pandemic, to step down as ICSOM chairperson at the end of this conference; therefore, be it
Resolved, That the officers and delegates to the 2023 ICSOM Conference offer their immense gratitude for the leadership, strength, and service Meredith Snow exhibited during her seven-year tenure as ICSOM chairperson; and be it further
Resolved, That in recognition of her outstanding dedication and service to ICSOM, the title of chairperson emeritus be extended to Meredith Snow, along with appreciation, admiration, and best wishes from the entire membership of ICSOM, as well as orchestras in the United States and Canada, for success in all her future endeavors.
Resolution to change ICSOM Bylaws regarding annual dues payments and suspended status
Article III: Membership
Section 2. (f) If a member orchestra should encounter circumstances that cause the orchestra undue hardship in paying its annual dues, that orchestra may apply to the Governing Board for a grant of suspended status. Such application must be made annually by December 31, and will be granted at the discretion of the Governing Board. Applications received later than December 31 are disfavored but may be considered by the Governing Board for good cause shown. An orchestra granted such status need not pay dues to ICSOM, but shall continue to be carried as a member orchestra, receive Senza Sordino, be entitled to send a non-voting representative to the Annual Conference, and be listed in and granted online-only access to the ICSOM Directory. The delegate(s) of an orchestra on suspended status shall be seated at the Annual Conference or any special meeting and allowed to speak, but shall not be allowed to vote or to make any motions. For good and sufficient cause, the Governing Board may withdraw such status at the next Annual Conference, subject to appeal.An orchestra may be granted suspended status up to a maximum of three consecutive years.
Section 2. (g) The delegate(s) of any member orchestra not on suspended status whose dues are not current at the time of the Annual Conference, or any subsequent special meeting, unless having requested and been granted an extension or waiver by the Governing Board, and subsequently been approved by a majority of the voting delegates, shall be seated and allowed to speak but shall not be allowed to vote or to make any motions. Such an orchestra shall not receive physical copies of Senza Sordino or the ICSOM Directory while the orchestra’s dues remain in arrears, though the orchestra will be listed in and granted online-only access to the ICSOM Directory. Should any member orchestra’s dues be three two years or more in arrears one day before the start of any Annual Conference, not counting any year where the orchestra has been granted suspended status, or should any member orchestra fail to have repaid an ERF loan according to the terms under which it was made (as of one day before the start of the Annual Conference), that orchestra shall be considered to have withdrawn from ICSOM, and no delegate from said orchestra shall be seated. Should that orchestra desire to rejoin ICSOM, it must apply as would a new applicant for membership.
Resolution to change ICSOM Bylaws regarding application by a successor orchestra to ICSOM
Article III: Membership
Section 2. (d) In the event an orchestra fails to meet the criteria enumerated in Section 2.(a), it may nevertheless make application to the Membership Committee. If it demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Membership Committee why it should be admitted, the Membership Committee may approve such an application and recommend admittance to ICSOM. In the case of a successor orchestra that has formed following the bankruptcy liquidation of an ICSOM orchestra (or similar event in which the former orchestra ceases to exist), the Membership Committee shall approve the application of such successor orchestra and recommend admittance to ICSOM, provided that the successor orchestra has a collective bargaining agreement in place with an AFM local, and the application is made within three years of completion of the bankruptcy liquidation (or similar event) of the former orchestra.
Resolution to change ICSOM Bylaws to clarify annual ICSOM dues assessment *
ARTICLE IX – DUES AND FINANCES
Section 1. The funds of ICSOM shall be created and maintained by dues and contributions by member orchestras, earned interest, and other additional contributions and revenue.
Section 2. All funds shall be used to further the interests of ICSOM.
Section 3. For each member orchestra, the amount of dues assessed per year shall be the sum of:
(a) the number of players guaranteed a minimum annual wage below $16,000.00 times $29.00; and
(b) the number of players guaranteed a minimum annual wage between $16,000.00 and $22,999.99 times $34.00; and
(c) the number of players guaranteed a minimum annual wage between $23,000.00 and $39,999.99 times $39.00; and
(d) the number of players guaranteed a minimum annual wage between $40,000.00 and $79,999.99 times $47.00; and
(e) the number of players guaranteed a minimum annual wage between $80,000.00 and $119,999.99 times $52.00 during the 2012-13 ICSOM fiscal year and increasing to $57.00 beginning in the 2013-14 ICSOM fiscal year; and
(f) the number of players guaranteed a minimum annual wage of $120,000.00 or more times $58.00 during the 2012-13 ICSOM fiscal year and increasing to $69.00 beginning in the 2013-14 ICSOM fiscal year.
For purposes of the foregoing calculation, the term “minimum annual wage” shall be understood to mean base annual wage only, without regard to overscale (either contractual or personal), seniority, or similar overages. For per-service musicians, base annual wage shall be calculated by multiplying the applicable per-service rate by the number of guaranteed services.
* ICSOM Bylaws require additional ratification by ICSOM member orchestras within 90 days of completion of the conference.
