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: December 2015
Since assuming my new position on the Governing Board, I have been perusing past issues of Senza Sordino from the online archives. The history of ICSOM is a rich one, and much of it is chronicled in Senza’s many articles. One item that fairly jumped out at me was a message that our Chairman, Bruce Ridge, has been touching on for years, going back to his early days on the Governing Board. It’s a … [Read more...]
Issue: July 2015
Serving as ICSOM president has been one of the most meaningful and rewarding experiences of my life. I often remark that I wish every ICSOM musician could have the opportunity to be president. Over the past thirteen years, I have enjoyed meeting with delegates, committee chairs, and many musicians from every ICSOM orchestra as well as ROPA and OCSOM orchestras. I have been fortunate to work with … [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: December 2013
On December 5, 2013, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that the arts and culture industry provided $500 billion, or at least 3.2% of total U.S. goods and service in 2011. In comparison, the arts and culture sector outpaced the travel and tourism industry, which was 2.8% of GDP in 2011. “Art and culture is a significant part of the U.S. economy—not just its contributions of ideas and … [Read more...]
Issue: May 2012
As musicians we recognize that hearing is vital to our livelihoods. Yet, the very nature of our work may cause temporary or even permanent hearing loss. Studies abound about excessive and sometimes unhealthy sound levels in the workplace. Sound shields, musician specific earplugs, and even language in our collective bargaining agreements have helped to reduce the occurrence of noise induced … [Read more...]
Issue: December 2011
When I joined the Kansas City Symphony (KCS) in 1995, my father, an accomplished amateur musician in his own right, often inquired whether “ev’rything’s up to date in Kansas City,” a reference to the musical, Oklahoma! Little did any of us know in 1995 what would lie ahead for the fourteen-year-old orchestra and our community. The KCS was borne out of the ashes of the former Kansas City … [Read more...]
Issue: October 2010
To say that we live in interesting times would be an understatement. Many of our orchestras face unprecedented attacks on their collective bargaining agreements. Even as I write this, the musicians of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra are on strike in order to save their venerable institution. The lack of meaningful negotiations by the management in Fort Worth has reached a critical point. The … [Read more...]
Issue: June 2010
The 2010 AFM Convention At this year’s AFM Convention, Recommendation No. 2, a resolution submitted by the International Executive Board (IEB), seeks to reduce the number of rank-and-file musician AFM-EPF trustees from three to two. The IEB is proposing to overturn the 2005 AFM Convention’s commitment to three rank-and-file musician trustees just five years after ICSOM vigorously and successfully … [Read more...]
Issue: April 2010
T he University of Michigan hosted the American Orchestras Summit in Ann Arbor January 26–28. The summit sought to examine how orchestras impact cultural life in America and how orchestras and academia might partner more effectively in the future. Participants and attendees were mainly from southeastern Michigan. U-M professors, students, and University Musical Society staff represented the … [Read more...]
