Issue: June 2017
For many reasons, an orchestra needs to represent and support its community. Viewing the mission statement of our organizations provides proof of this. Most include a phrase such as: “We strive to inspire, enrich and serve our community.” A study of demographics shows that our country has become more diverse over the years, and will continue to do so, with the Census Bureau reporting that already … [Read more...]
Issue: June 2017
The lack of diversity in the orchestral world is frequently, and increasingly, lamented. The subject has been a topic at the League of American Orchestras (LAO) over the past several years, where it has been a point of growing concern. In comments on the subject last spring from the LAO’s website, League President Jesse Rosen was correct when he observed, “If the arts community is to accelerate … [Read more...]
Issue: Chairperson's Reports
The 4th International Orchestra Conference (IOC) took place in Montreal at the beginning of May, hosted by the Guilde des Musicians et Musiciennes du Quebec (GMMQ), Local 406 of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada. The IOC is a creation of the Fédération Internationale des Musiciens (FIM) which is the only global organization for musician trade unions, guilds and … [Read more...]
Issue: June 2017
At the 2015 ICSOM Conference in Philadelphia we presented an online questionnaire to be distributed amongst ICSOM delegates and their respective orchestras called the 2015 Musicians’ Health Survey*. This would be the first time since 1987 that ICSOM musicians would take part in a survey regarding performance anxiety, and after 28 years enough time had passed that it was important to check in … [Read more...]
Issue: June 2017
We in the National Symphony Orchestra live in a city of politicians and diplomats; they populate our neighborhoods and our audience. We play in a venue named not for a donor but for a statesman, John F. Kennedy. Despite our name, we have no official government role, of course. But the NSO’s visit to Russia in late March of this year, during a troubled period in US-Russian relations, had the feel … [Read more...]
Issue: June 2017
The more you give, the more you get. That’s how Street Symphony musicians feel after dedicating six years to making music for social justice. These professional musicians have brought their art and activism to 250 performances and workshops in Los Angeles’ Skid Row neighborhood and county jails, designing programs that help people experiencing incarceration, homelessness, and mental illness to … [Read more...]
Issue: June 2017
The ICSOM Governing Board has been discussing ways additional services and information can be provided to the members of ICSOM, and we have made some changes to the ICSOM website as a result. Any current member of an ICSOM orchestra who is registered on the website, can view and download current and archived ICSOM Settlement Bulletins, much of the materials and presentations from annual … [Read more...]
Issue: June 2017
He’s not one to make a big deal of it, or even be particularly pleased with the publicity, but when former Concertmaster Noah Bendix-Bagley performed the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the PSO for the “welcome back” concert on December 2, he donated a portion (all he’s willing to say) of his solo fee to the PSO Musicians Care fund, which provides assistance to underfunded school music programs. … [Read more...]
Issue: June 2017
Executive Changes In March, the New York Philharmonic announced that Deborah Borda, longtime President of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, would be replacing Matthew VanBesien as President and CEO, in September. The move represents a return for Borda, who previously served as the Executive Director of the New York orchestra from 1991 to 1999. In Los Angeles she oversaw the construction of the Walt … [Read more...]
