Issue: August 2014
As I end 12 years on the ICSOM Governing Board and 10 years as the Senza Sordino editor, some thoughts occur to me that are inspired by the changing landscape we face as orchestra musicians. I take sole responsibility for all the views expressed here, though many are not original. They are the product of countless interactions with many individuals during my 35-year association with ICSOM, its … [Read more...]
Issue: August 2014
We have often marveled (and occasionally despaired) at the fact that we work in a field where all too often organizational failure is accepted, and all too often such failure is even expected. This has never been more strikingly illustrated than in the recent announcement from the management of the Green Bay Symphony that it would close following the 2014–2015 season despite several recent … [Read more...]
Issue: August 2014
It has been reported that roughly 75% of traditional print and broadcast media journalists check people’s and groups’ websites or blogs before deciding whether to do a story on them. That point was driven home to me the other day when I received a text from fellow percussionist Eric Hopkins that read, “Just got a call from NPR in D.C. about doing an interview tomorrow as a follow up to my triangle … [Read more...]
Issue: August 2014
As of late, ICSOM Chairperson Bruce Ridge has been on the road quite a bit representing ICSOM and visiting numerous ICSOM orchestras. Of course, that’s not unusual for Ridge. When one realizes that his own orchestra, the North Carolina Symphony, has one of the busiest travel schedules in the country, one further appreciates the (literal) distance he goes for ICSOM. Just some of his travel … [Read more...]
Issue: August 2014
On Sunday, July 6, 2014, members of the San Diego Symphony performed an unprecedented event at Friendship Park, in the very southwest corner of the United States, when they gave a concert while collaborating across the U.S.-Mexico border with musicians of Orquesta de Baja California (OBC). This location is one of few along the border where individuals can converse with foreign nationals while … [Read more...]
