Issue: December 2024
During the summer of 2023, the Eastern Music Festival (EMF) faculty artists voted in favor of representation by the Charlotte Musicians’ Association (American Federation of Musicians Local 342). Founded in 1962, EMF is a five-week summer music festival for high school and college students, located in Greensboro, North Carolina. There are currently 61 faculty artists and approximately 280 … [Read more...]
Issue: Chairperson's Reports
For the past few weeks, I have found myself grappling with mixed emotions over the recent election results—profound disappointment, fear, and, frankly, exhaustion at the thought of the challenges ahead. I won’t use this space to offer reassurance. Historically, Republican administrations have not been kind to organized labor or workers' rights. We don’t know what the future holds; we’ll need to … [Read more...]
Issue: December 2024
In my first Senza Sordino column, I outlined my journey to the ICSOM presidency. That journey, if you remember, was an unexpected one, borne from my experiences in the industry that ranged from little things that didn’t work optimally to others that became complete roadblocks. Onstage, we come together to turn silence into beautiful sounds. For two (or so) hours, we set aside our individual selves … [Read more...]
Issue: Counsel's Columns
ICSOM Chairperson Keith Carrick’s address at the 2024 ICSOM Conference in August raised an issue that has long flown under the radar in our orchestras: the practice of individually negotiated overscale. Citing the potential for bias and inequity, Chairperson Carrick called for an end to this practice and for orchestras to instead collectively bargain overscale for titled positions in their CBAs. … [Read more...]
