Issue: December 2008
It is difficult to ignore the current economy and its potential impact on our orchestras. During periods of such uncertainty, managements may seek to open up current agreements to ask for concessions. Chairperson Ridge’s timely and well-written column contains many important points to consider during such discussions. My column is intended to provide additional perspectives. Like many young … [Read more...]
Issue: October 2008
T he 2008 ICSOM Conference, held in San Francisco this past August, provided an ideal opportunity to meet with delegates and to learn from our many presenters about important issues that affect ICSOM musicians and their orchestras. Special thanks go to President David Schoenbrun and AFM Local 6 (San Francisco), ICSOM Delegates Thalia Moore, Leslie Ludena, Cathy Payne, alternate delegate Steven … [Read more...]
Issue: June 2008
Sphinx Competition This past February, at Orchestra Hall in Detroit, the 11th annual Sphinx Competition was held. Violinist Danielle Belen Nesmith was awarded first place. Second and third place went to violinists Karla Donehew Perez and Luisa Barroso. Many thanks to Detroit delegate Brian Ventura, who was in attendance and represented ICSOM and the Governing Board. ICSOM continues to … [Read more...]
Issue: July 2007
Perspectives on the AFM Convention An AFM Convention typically packs a great deal of business and politics into a whirlwind three-day session. Committees made up of local delegates appointed by the AFM president listen to many hours of testimony given by proponents and opponents of the many resolutions and recommendations submitted prior to the Convention. The committees include: Measures and … [Read more...]
Issue: May 2007
As the end of another concert season draws near, many ICSOM orchestras find themselves in the midst of negotiations. A few have already settled, while many others are in negotiations or scheduled to begin. Before addressing these negotiations, I would like to reference the reasons behind ICSOM’s creation. It is important to remember that the right to form orchestra committees, to participate in … [Read more...]
Issue: March 2007
This is my first column since being re-elected as ICSOM President after a year away. I told the delegates, officers, and guests at the 2006 ICSOM Conference that I missed the tremendous energy and vast knowledge of Governing Board members and Distinguished ICSOM Legal Counsel (DILC), as well as the friendships created with officers, delegates, and committee chairs over the past several years. I … [Read more...]
Issue: July 2006
Is Anybody Reading This? If you are a musician reading this issue of Senza Sordino, I hope you are doing so for reasons that extend beyond those 68 measures of rests you are counting. Sometimes I have a gnawing feeling that our managers are perusing these missives just as often as our musicians—which is great, and I welcome them to this latest edition. I just can’t help but wish that I had a … [Read more...]
Issue: May 2006
When I was a student, which seems an alarmingly long time ago, I remember reading a satirical piece called “An Efficiency Expert Looks at a Symphony Orchestra.” I thought I had saved a copy in my files, but a lengthy search the other afternoon proved fruitless. So, I “googled” it, and sure enough, I found a portion of it on some obscure website. The two excerpts I remembered most clearly were … [Read more...]
Issue: December 2005
I joined the American Federation of Musicians when I was just a teenager, and I still have my first union card to prove it. This was the late ’70s, and it was an amazing time for me. I was hearing Miles Davis’s music for the first time and performing it. I was hearing Beethoven’s Fifth for the first time and performing it. I was playing in concert halls, in country bars behind chicken wire … [Read more...]
Issue: October 2005
Recently I have been reading Julie Ayer's excellent book, More Than Meets the Ear: How Symphony Musicians Made Labor History. It has been fascinating to learn more about the brave musicians who founded ICSOM back in 1962. Prior to ICSOM, only one orchestra participated directly in the negotiation of its own contract. In the 43-year existence of ICSOM, astonishing progress has been made for the … [Read more...]
