Issue: March 2005
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra recently concluded negotiations that had extended beyond the expiration of the former collective bargaining agreement. A settlement was reached and ratified on November 6, narrowly averting a strike. We had expected this negotiation to be difficult. For three years the orchestra had endured meetings at which William Strong, the chairman of the Chicago Symphony … [Read more...]
Issue: Chairperson's Reports
It was my honor and pleasure to represent ICSOM in a ceremony at Boston’s Symphony Hall commemorating George Zazofsky’s contributions to orchestral life. Among his other accomplishments, George was a founder and the first chairman of ICSOM. We were gathered to dedicate a plaque as a lasting memorial to him. While we should recognize that ICSOM must always strive to serve the current needs of … [Read more...]
Issue: March 2005
The 2004‒05 fall season began on a somber note for our ICSOM orchestras that were encountering formidable challenges at the table. Opening concerts, usually filled with great excitement and anticipation, were hampered by exceptionally difficult and contentious negotiations, the likes of which many of us have never seen before. All eyes in the orchestral world were on the events unfolding in … [Read more...]
Issue: March 2005
The 2004–05 season has, so far, been filled with the usual tasks, writing a conference report for the International Musician (which was expanded in the previous Senza Sordino), applying changes to the bylaws following the conference and mailing out updated versions, forwarding those changes and all resolutions passed at the 2004 conference to the editor for inclusion in the first Senza issue, … [Read more...]
Issue: March 2005
The 2004–05 season marks the Indianapolis Symphony’s 75th anniversary. There have been many activities to celebrate the occasion, including a local half-hour PBS special and a new book about the orchestra’s history entitled Crescendo (advertised in the International Musician). Indianapolis has just ended a CEO search that included musician involvement. Replacing the retiring CEO, Richard … [Read more...]
Issue: March 2005
The Legislative Committee held a conference call meeting on December 13, 2004. In attendance were Leslie Ludena (San Francisco Opera), Hal Ponder ( AFM Legislative Director), Helen Reich (Milwaukee), Laura Ross (Nashville), Leslie Shank (Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra), and Nancy Stutsman (Kennedy Center Orchestra). Hal Ponder started the meeting by detailing what our challenges in Congress will be … [Read more...]
Issue: March 2005
As each speaker at the plaque-hanging ceremony in the Cahners-Cabot Room of Boston’s Symphony Hall recounted memories of George Zazofsky, the founder of ICSOM, my mind began filling up with names—names I hadn’t thought about for some time. Tom Hall was introduced by Jan Gippo as the “grand old man” of ICSOM, and Tom and I both smiled. “Grand” is certainly an apt description of Tom, but “old” is … [Read more...]
Issue: March 2005
Negotiations for our latest agreement began with some degree of trepidation. Our last negotiations concluded in 1998 with a six-year deal, which at that time was a ground-breaking achievement. As most orchestras now know all too well, the economic climate has changed substantially during the intervening years, especially since 9/11. All the other top orchestras had negotiated since 1998, so we … [Read more...]
Issue: March 2005
For many years there has been tension between individual orchestras and the AFM on issues related to electronic media. The issues are numerous and complex. After thinking about these issues over a long period of time, I have concluded that they can be boiled down to this one basic question: Should national symphonic media agreements be abandoned? All of us know that, today, the orchestral … [Read more...]
