Issue: December 2022
Recently, there have been a number of legislative issues relevant to ICSOM musicians that have been considered (or even resolved), including the protected status of Pernambuco wood, the primary material used to produce bows for string instruments, as well as a push for musician-friendly legislation in Congress. On November 28, 2022, Heather Noonan, League of American Orchestras Vice President … [Read more...]
Issue: December 2022
Now in my third term as ICSOM President, I am fortunate to have visited a number of our 53 member orchestras. As such trips were paused during the pandemic, I really am glad to be able to return to these in-person meetings, to assist in building the level of open communication that is needed between ICSOM and musician leaders. My fall 2022 travels provided the opportunity for me to meet with … [Read more...]
Issue: Counsel's Columns
As we head into a new bargaining season, one issue that ICSOM negotiating committees might be inclined to bring to the table concerns employer assistance with access to abortion services. Since the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization that upended decades of (what was assumed to be) settled precedent regarding abortion rights, many employees, especially those in … [Read more...]
Issue: December 2022
When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in March of 2020 I was furloughed from my job as section double bass with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and stuck in my small apartment in downtown Indianapolis with little to do. I had to figure out something to do with all of the free time I suddenly found myself with, so I picked up where I left off a few years ago with a computer coding course through … [Read more...]
Issue: December 2022
The Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra has enjoyed a longstanding and fulfilling relationship with our neighbors at Miriam’s Kitchen (https://www.miriamskitchen.org), an organization whose mission is to end chronic homelessness. The Miriam’s Kitchen team engages their guests with healthy, made-from-scratch meals and helps connect them with personalized social services that can help them rebuild … [Read more...]
