Issue: December 2014
On November 13, 2014, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra returned to Symphony Hall stage to a reception that more closely resembled that of fans at a highly anticipated sports event. Music Director Robert Spano conducted, Concertmaster David Coucheron played a Mozart concerto, and the ASO Chorus joined the orchestra for a rendition of the Ninth Symphony of Beethoven. This concert also marked the end … [Read more...]
Issue: Chairperson's Reports
On August 25, 2012, the management of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Board of the Woodruff Arts Center locked out the musicians of the Atlanta Symphony. On September 7, 2014, the management of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Board of the Woodruff Arts Center locked out the musicians of the Atlanta Symphony. In an often misattributed and perhaps apocryphal quote, it has been … [Read more...]
Issue: December 2014
During the week of 17-23 November, 2014, for the first time, orchestra musicians and their trade unions in all countries with a symphonic tradition took part in a global campaign to alert audiences and political decision makers about a situation that has become critical. Financing of symphony orchestras has been one of the main topics addressed by the FIM International Orchestra Conference in … [Read more...]
Issue: December 2014
ICSOM continues to provide many important services to its members and does so on a shoestring budget. Just a few of these include the annual Directory, Senza Sordino, annual summer conferences in cities of ICSOM orchestras, member-at-large online and phone call discussion groups, orchestra-l, delegate-l, the ICSOM Electronic Media Committee, site visits by the chair or other governing board … [Read more...]
Issue: Counsel's Columns
In June 2013, in United States v. Windsor, the Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional a provision of the Defense of Marriage Act (“DOMA”) that defined marriage as between a man and a woman for federal law purposes (and applied to over 1,000 federal laws). While we’ve come a long way from “don’t ask don’t tell” in the legal arena, there is still a long way to go before there is complete … [Read more...]
Issue: December 2014
Newark Early Strings Program to be Replaced The Newark Early Strings Program (NESP), a community outreach initiative of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in collaboration with the Newark Public Schools, is closing down after 14 years of service, due to reallocation of funding by the Newark School District. Undaunted, the NJSO has just announced a new educational program, to be named Music … [Read more...]
Issue: December 2014
In Norfolk, VA, in 2009, at their pre-conference planning session, the ICSOM Governing Board heard a presentation and began a discussion that would ultimately result in the formation of the American Symphonic Advocacy Project (ASAP). We introduced the Governing Board to Mark Lindsay, Director of the Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Division of The Livingston Group, a lobbying firm in Washington, DC. … [Read more...]
Issue: December 2014
“Do you believe in miracles?” was the phrase used when the US Hockey team won the most improbable victory during the 1980 Winter Olympics. That members of the New York City Opera Orchestra just completed a week-long tour in Japan brings to mind the same sense of astonishment and accomplishment. Thirteen months ago NYCO filed for bankruptcy and was left for dead. But the orchestra, though … [Read more...]
Issue: December 2014
When I joined the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra in 1997, the AFM-EPF benefits multiplier stood at $4.14, and our orchestra’s contribution rate was 7.5%. Our Orchestra Committee chair regaled me with his perspective that our pension was a fantastic benefit, and I agreed with him. Two and a half years later, the multiplier was up to $4.65, and I was comfortable in the knowledge that my … [Read more...]
