Issue:
Issue: November 2012
What do you get when you mix together delegates from 50 ICSOM orchestras, 9 ICSOM officers, 5 former ICSOM chairpersons, the daughter of the first ICSOM chairman, 8 founding members of ICSOM, 6 former ICSOM officers, 18 local officers, 12 AFM officers and Symphonic Services Division staff members, 17 negotiating attorneys, 12 presenters, 4 player conference presidents, a host of orchestra members … [Read more...]
Issue: Chairperson's Reports
I really should know better by now. I should know not to read the comments section on any article anywhere, whether it is about a sporting event or a political campaign or (perhaps especially) an orchestra. Far too often these comments provide an unedited forum for hatred and resentment often spewed by isolated people who find themselves irresistibly offered a vast Internet of readers they … [Read more...]
Issue: November 2012
Chicago Symphony Orchestra by Steve Lester, Members Committee Chairman The contentious and stalled negotiations between the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association and the musicians of the CSO, represented by the Chicago Federation of Musicians, Local 10-208, resulted in a brief strike that affected only one service, a concert on Saturday, September 22. A new contract was agreed to on Monday, … [Read more...]
Issue: November 2012
As members of ICSOM we are facing unrelenting attacks on our orchestras, on unions, and on all we have strived to build together over the last half century. We are hearing a constant refrain that our orchestras have structural deficits that must be eliminated, that the current business model for the symphony orchestra is unsustainable, and that our defined benefit pension plans are too costly and … [Read more...]
Issue: November 2012
Honoring the Founders of ICSOM Whereas, In the early 1960s there was no orchestra in the U.S. with a 52-week season, and only one orchestra whose musicians sat at the bargaining table with the ability to negotiate their own wages and working conditions; and Whereas, Previous attempts to contact various orchestras to compare wages, benefits and other information had, until the 1958 St. Louis … [Read more...]
Issue: November 2012
The Kansas City Symphony experienced a “dream come true” in 2011–2012 with its move into the magnificent Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts as one of three resident companies. In addition to performing varied series of concerts in Helzberg Hall, the Symphony also performs as the pit orchestra in the Kauffman Theater for the other two KCPA resident companies, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City and … [Read more...]
Issue: November 2012
Dear Musical Friends, I’m Richard Norris, MD, a longtime practitioner in the field of musicians’ injuries. I have a long history with ICSOM, which published my book, The Musician’s Survival Manual, back in 1991. A second edition of the book has since been released in an e-book (PDF) format. This allows for instant download and no carbon footprint for shipping and manufacturing. The book is now … [Read more...]
