Issue: October 2019
The 57th ICSOM conference was held from August 20–24, 2019, in Park City, Utah, not far from Deer Valley, where the Utah Symphony performs during the summer months. The conference—hosted by the musicians of the Utah Symphony, Local 104, and conference coordinator Julie Edwards—provided a respite from the August heat where delegates, local officers, and guests dealt with a jam-packed … [Read more...]
Issue: December 2018
The Hawaiian Oboe Legacy Project began as an idea to create something unique to benefit and inspire future audiences and students in a place where I’d spent the majority of my professional life. I had always had the idea in the back of my head to have an oboe manufactured out of an indigenous Hawaiian wood—an oboe that would be of this place and be inextricably linked to it. Once we managed to … [Read more...]
Issue: October 2018
It is with great sadness that I report the sudden passing of Dale Newton, long-time ICSOM Delegate for the Grant Park Orchestra, on September 22nd. A member of Grant Park’s cello section since 1974, Dale truly loved classical music and the arts. Upon meeting him, he would be sure to tell you that playing in an orchestra was his destiny, as his father had been a violist in the Chicago Symphony, … [Read more...]
Issue: March 2015
It’s hard to believe it’s been five and a half years since the Honolulu Symphony Society (HSS) canceled concerts and filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in December of 2009, with Chapter 7 liquidation a year later. The death of the 104-year old institution dealt a blow to our community; however, because most of the musicians stayed in Hawaii, and thanks to the efforts of a new group of community … [Read more...]
Issue: June 2013
After a challenging year without an orchestral season in Hawaiʻi, plans for a 12-week Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra season starting this October are being finalized, and a staff is being reassembled. It was a hopeful time for the musicians of the new Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra in March 2012, when the organization played its first season after the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra was silenced in October … [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: February 2012
In March 2012, the musicians of the former Honolulu Symphony will return to the concert stage. The board of the new Hawaii Symphony has announced a shortened 16-week season that will kick off the start of a new professional orchestra in the islands. It has been a long journey. The old Honolulu Symphony played its last concert in October 2009. At that time the old board cancelled all concerts … [Read more...]
Issue: November 2011
Resolution 1: Frederick Zenone Conference Dedication WHEREAS, Frederick Zenone was known as a visionary and a transformative leader in the orchestra industry; and WHEREAS, As a cellist and representative from the National Symphony Orchestra, Fred served ICSOM for four years as Eastern area vice-chairman, followed by two years as ICSOM vice-chairman, and finally for six years as ICSOM’s fifth … [Read more...]
Issue: March 2011
On February 22, 2011, Governor Neil Abercrombie publicly announced that a new group of prominent community leaders had formed the “Symphony Exploratory Committee” (SEC) to examine the possibility of having a new professional orchestra in Hawaii. The SEC has begun to assemble an impressive team. Steven Monder, former long-time executive director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra has been … [Read more...]
Issue: December 2010
As we’re all aware, the orchestra industry is under attack in a number of cities due in part to the economy, and in part to irresponsible management. The economy has affected fundraising and ticket sales, but in many places, responsible managers are helping their orchestras weather the storm and, in some cases, thrive. Other managers have proposed such punitive measures that some, like the Detroit … [Read more...]
