Issue: December 2022
Now in my third term as ICSOM President, I am fortunate to have visited a number of our 53 member orchestras. As such trips were paused during the pandemic, I really am glad to be able to return to these in-person meetings, to assist in building the level of open communication that is needed between ICSOM and musician leaders. My fall 2022 travels provided the opportunity for me to meet with … [Read more...]
Issue: March 2019
New Contract and New Leadership The San Francisco Symphony (SFS) recently announced two positive developments. In November, the musicians ratified a four-year agreement with increases in wages and in the defined-benefit pension plan. The contract also includes a provision for shared equity funding, in which the administration will lend money to a musician to help fund a portion of the down … [Read more...]
Issue: March 2018
In December 2011, the Louisville Orchestra Inc. filed for bankruptcy and attempted to reject the musicians’ contract in federal court. Upon advice of labor counsel, Liza Hirsch Medina, the Louisville Orchestra musicians immediately engaged the most reputable local bankruptcy attorneys and defeated that effort. We were able to keep our contract and continued to work for its duration. After the … [Read more...]
Issue: Chairperson's Reports
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is a critical part of funding for the non-profit arts sector. Despite the miniscule amount of Federal money allocated to the NEA (0.004% of the 2016 fiscal budget), NEA grants spur giving from private sources, foundations, corporations, and individual contributors. On average, each NEA dollar generates another nine dollars from state, local, and private … [Read more...]
Issue: February 2012
The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra finished its 2010-2011 fiscal year with a surplus of $46,000. There were many contributing factors. The musicians of the BPO had agreed to contract concessions over the previous two seasons, allowing the orchestra to get on solid financial ground in the current financial environment. Management positions were trimmed and streamlined as well. During the … [Read more...]
Issue: Chairperson's Reports
One late night during this summer’s ICSOM Conference in Detroit, delegates gathered informally in the chairman’s suite to watch the documentary Music Makes a City. This beautiful film describes how the Louisville Orchestra was founded 74 years ago by the visionary mayor Charles Farnsley, who realized that the orchestra could lift the city out of the long Great Depression punctuated by devastating … [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
We might not have been able to call ourselves by name because of our management’s attorney’s allegation that use of the name “Louisville Orchestra Musicians’ Association” is a violation of our contract. Instead, we answered to code names such as “Major orchestra across the Ohio River from Jeffersonville, Indiana” and “Musicians from our Nation’s Capital Orchestra.” But something amazing happened … [Read more...]
