Issue: December 2009
The Minnesota State Fair was the scene of my most recent pro-ICSOM, pro-union experience. My experience also echoes ICSOM Secretary Laura Ross’ excellent Senza Sordino article from last December, entitled “Why be an AFM Convention Delegate?” Here’s the story: The first Minnesota State Fair was held in 1859. It moved to its present site at the State Fairgrounds in Falcon Heights in 1885. Common … [Read more...]
Issue: Chairperson's Reports
The 2009 ICSOM Conference in Norfolk, Virginia, was one of the most unifying and uplifting events that I have ever experienced in my 30-year career as a orchestral instrumentalist. But as the late Richard Totusek would say, time only moves in one direction. In the three months since our gathering, much has happened. We all must be engaged with these events in order to positively influence the … [Read more...]
Issue: December 2009
This has been a very difficult year for our orchestras. We are barely into the new season, and I have produced more than 15 settlement bulletins, 7 of which are for revised or amended agreements (and at least one, Honolulu, is already out of date). Out of last season’s 29 bulletins, 13 were for revised or amended agreements (many came in as we approached last summer’s ICSOM Conference). Sadly, … [Read more...]
Issue: December 2009
Two years ago we began sending Senza Sordino to every AFM local in the U.S. and Canada. We did this hoping that locals, regardless of whether they are home to any ICSOM, ROPA, or OCSM orchestras, would find our newsletter interesting and appreciate hearing about some of our issues, including the need for strong committees, support from our locals, and AFM support to keep us informed and help us … [Read more...]
Issue: December 2009
As musicians of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra arrived for the dress rehearsal of a Holiday Pops concert on December 10, they were surprised to see members of the management and the trustee boards of the Cincinnati Symphony, the Cincinnati Opera, the Cincinnati Ballet, and the May Festival, all milling around onstage. At the moment the rehearsal was scheduled to commence, Cincinnati Symphony … [Read more...]
Issue: December 2009
What do you do when your orchestra has voted to take two sets of cuts within a five-month period—the first “voluntary” and the other under the threat of bankruptcy—resulting in an ensemble full of frustrated and angry members? How do you convince volunteers to serve on an orchestra committee that may engage in conversations about further possible cuts? In the case of the few remaining musicians on … [Read more...]
