Issue: December 2020
A scientific approach to orchestra staging In the early stages of planning our return to the stage, Utah Symphony musicians were actively searching for information regarding airflow and aerosols from wind instruments. There were some very preliminary aerosol studies, but none seemed sufficient to answer our most important question: how safe is it to be onstage at Abravanel Hall? We began to … [Read more...]
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
In October, I had the opportunity to meet musicians of two ICSOM orchestras, under very different circumstances. On Friday, October 12, I traveled to Chicago to support the Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra musicians during their strike. For eight hours I joined them on the picket line, marched from the Civic Opera House to Daley Plaza for their rally, and delivered a speech there. Before the rally … [Read more...]
Issue: June 2018
Violins of Hope and Schindler’s List Too The Violins of Hope project, which brought approximately 25 violins, a viola, and a cello to Nashville from mid-March to June 2, was nearly 27 months in the making. The instruments, collected and restored by father and son Amnon and Avshi Weinstein and played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust, survived concentration camps, pogroms, and long journeys … [Read more...]
Issue: March 2018
ICSOM at the Grammys A number of ICSOM orchestras released recordings in 2017 that captured Grammy awards, announced at the 60th annual ceremony on January 28. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s recording of Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 and Barber Adagio for Strings won the awards for Best Orchestral Performance and Best Engineered Album, Classical. The performances were conducted by the … [Read more...]
Issue: June 2017
Executive Changes In March, the New York Philharmonic announced that Deborah Borda, longtime President of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, would be replacing Matthew VanBesien as President and CEO, in September. The move represents a return for Borda, who previously served as the Executive Director of the New York orchestra from 1991 to 1999. In Los Angeles she oversaw the construction of the Walt … [Read more...]
Issue: December 2016
Music is a key pillar of cultural expression in Haiti. Though it can seem like a different world, Haiti is less than 700 miles from Miami. Many Americans, if they think of Haiti at all, conjure images of disasters, but there is so much more to our neighbor to the south. Born in revolution, Haiti has a vibrant, multifaceted culture—a lively mix of African, French, and Latin influences—that combines … [Read more...]
Issue: June 2016
AFM Convention in Las Vegas The AFM will hold its 100th convention June 20–23, at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. Among more than 250 delegates will be many who are active and emeritus members of ICSOM orchestras; included in roughly 160 AFM Locals sending delegates will be the 42 Locals that have one or more ICSOM orchestras. The triennial convention will see the election of … [Read more...]
Issue: July 2015
In 2007, the Utah Symphony had just signed a newly negotiated CBA, the symphony was embarking on an exciting search for a new Music Director, and things were on a positive trajectory. In the late fall things began to change. I recall when our CEO, Melia Tourangeau, announced to the orchestra that as a result of the financial crisis, the situation was so dire that they might not be able to make … [Read more...]
Issue: May 2015
Every spring the Utah Symphony invites 20,000 fifth graders to Abravanel Hall for a very special concert, an annual ritual that is more than fifty years old. The students dress up for the occasion, they whoop when the lights go down, they cheer when the conductor enters, and applaud enthusiastically when they are moved by the music. The Utah Symphony has a long history of reaching out to … [Read more...]
