Issue: August 2020
Confinement, quarantine, social distancing, furlough, innovation, activism, creativity, inclusion. These ideas were explored and discussed during this year’s ICSOM Conference. There was no big hotel conference meeting room, no talking face-to-face with colleagues from across the country, or catching up with old friends and meeting new ones for the first time; instead it was a screen with tiles of … [Read more...]
Issue: August 2020
We were incredibly fortunate to have guest panelists Anthony and Demarre McGill for the opening session of our 2020 conference, Intersection of Music, Race, and Activism in Our Orchestras. Anthony, principal clarinet with the New York Philharmonic, also serves as artistic director of the Music Advancement Program at Juilliard, is on the Board of Directors for both the League of American Orchestras … [Read more...]
Issue: August 2020
We find ourselves in a very tight spot. I doubt there has ever been a time, since ICSOM was founded 58 years ago, that our orchestras have been in a more precarious situation. The coronavirus pandemic has stripped away our livelihoods and our way of life. It has taken the lives of tens of thousands of Americans and it has devastated our economy. We are hanging on by our fingernails as our American … [Read more...]
Issue: August 2020
A highlight of the 2020 ICSOM conference was the session Health and Safety in the Workplace: Our New COVID-19 World, led by three professionals, each of whom brought an important perspective to the conversation, and moderated by ICSOM counsel Kevin Case. Thanks to ICSOM Treasurer Michael Moore, the Governing Board became aware of Dr. Carlos del Rio’s work as a result of the presentation he gave … [Read more...]
Issue: August 2020
For good or ill, the use of electronic media has never been more central to our art than at the current moment. Streaming is a far from perfect way to consume music: even enjoyed through the finest playback equipment, a streamed performance lacks the vitality and immediacy of being in the same shared acoustical space with the performers. But since mid-March, streaming has been our primary means of … [Read more...]
Issue: August 2020
ICSOM musicians are beginning to return to their halls to make music. While that is a welcome development in many ways, any return to work at this point must be accompanied by a comprehensive safety plan. Such plans are challenging to create, given the many unanswered questions about COVID-19 and the risks it poses in our unique workplaces. Nonetheless, in several ICSOM orchestras, safety plans … [Read more...]
Issue: August 2020
On August 1, around 30 musicians from the Los Angeles Philharmonic returned to the outdoor stage of the Hollywood Bowl for the first time since the pandemic's shutdowns, to rehearse for the capture of product to be released under the new COVID-19 side letter to the IMA. Even though the Hollywood Bowl remains closed, the services were able to take place under the Reopening Protocol for Music, … [Read more...]
Issue: August 2020
Twelve orchestras made presentations at the 2020 conference about ways they are adapting to the COVID-19 environment. Here are more details on two of those. #WeWillMetAgain By Javier Gándara and Stephanie Mortimore On March 12, in response to the public health emergency, the Met canceled all performances and rehearsals through March 31. Soon after, they announced the cancellation of our … [Read more...]
Issue: August 2020
Statement of Condemnation Regarding Musician Furloughs Submitted by the ICSOM Governing Board Whereas, The COVID-19 pandemic has created significant economic challenges for ICSOM orchestras; and Whereas, The vast majority of ICSOM orchestras have responded to those challenges not by laying off or furloughing musicians, but instead by continuing to pay salary in full or in part and maintaining … [Read more...]
