Issue: December 2020
In many ways, 2020 has been a year we’d all like to forget, but it is helpful when we get discouraged to remember all that we’ve accomplished this year. The Baltimore Symphony Musicians remember vividly the difficulties of the past. We were walking a picket line just last summer, and in 12 short months we have made enormous strides in so many areas. We have established a new decision-making … [Read more...]
Issue: March 2020
It’s hard to believe that just a few months ago, as we sat in a finance committee meeting, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra board treasurer told us that if we didn’t get an advance from the Endowment Trust the BSO might have to cease operations in January. Since then, we have engaged Michael Kaiser to help write a five-year strategic plan that puts the art and the Orchestra first. He is a … [Read more...]
Issue: March 2020
Detroit Moves Fast The last two weeks of January were eventful ones for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. On January 22, the DSO announced that Italian conductor Jader Bignamini has been appointed Music Director, beginning with the 2020-2021 season. Bignamini was first introduced to the DSO in the spring of 2018, stepping in at the last minute for Leonard Slatkin in concert performances of … [Read more...]
Issue: October 2019
This has been a terribly difficult summer for the Baltimore Symphony musicians—frankly, it has been a terribly difficult year. From the moment we arrived back in Baltimore following our triumphant tour to the UK and Ireland in September of 2018, we were caught in the shifting sands of the BSO’s financial uncertainty. First, the management wasn’t ready to negotiate on September 9. They then … [Read more...]
Issue: October 2019
All resolutions were submitted by the ICSOM Governing Board and adopted by unanimous consent Support for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Musicians Whereas, The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) has been a cultural icon for over a century, serving its community through good times and bad; and Whereas, The BSO is one of our great American orchestras, the only ICSOM orchestra originally formed … [Read more...]
Issue: June 2019
Update: On May 30, the Baltimore Symphony management called an emergency meeting and announced the cancellation of the BSO summer season. This sudden action, despite a recently approved $3.2 million grant from the State of Maryland, also suspends the tenth BSO Academy, the subject of this article. In spite of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s current tenuous contract state, the BSO Academy … [Read more...]
Issue: June 2019
John C. Merrill Act Baltimore Symphony musicians have been playing without a contract since January 16, 2019. In this context, the passage of Maryland House bill 1404, introduced by the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, Delegate Maggie McIntosh, providing $1.6 million in each of the next two fiscal years, was most welcome. In addition to providing additional funding for two years, the bill … [Read more...]
Issue: March 2019
Two months after our return from what was heralded as an historic and triumphant tour of Scotland, England, and Ireland, the musicians of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra were told by our management and board that we should now accept a pay cut of at least 20% as part of a reduction of the orchestra’s season from 52 to 40 weeks. Welcome home, guys and gals! Fortunately, the Baltimore Symphony … [Read more...]
Issue: Chairperson's Reports
As it becomes increasingly clear that diversity in our orchestras must be a priority moving into the future, more opportunities to facilitate that goal are being created within our industry each year. The National Alliance for Audition Support (NAAS) is an unprecedented national initiative created by the Sphinx Organization (which is the program leader and fiscal administrator of NAAS), the New … [Read more...]
Issue: December 2018
In August 2018, the Baltimore Symphony (BSO) embarked on its first overseas tour in thirteen years, to wide acclaim. Over fifty supporters accompanied the BSO on the trip, and we received some very nice reviews as well as terrific response from live audiences. To give a bit of a background, on July 3, Players Committee Co-Chair Brian Prechtl and I were surprised by a visit from our CEO, Peter … [Read more...]
