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...]
Issue: August 2014
It has been reported that roughly 75% of traditional print and broadcast media journalists check people’s and groups’ websites or blogs before deciding whether to do a story on them. That point was driven home to me the other day when I received a text from fellow percussionist Eric Hopkins that read, “Just got a call from NPR in D.C. about doing an interview tomorrow as a follow up to my triangle … [Read more...]
Issue: March 2013
F or several years now I’ve been bugging Bruce Ridge to make a swing through Salt Lake and pay the Utah Symphony musicians a visit. We’re all well aware here that most of Bruce’s fieldwork has taken him to orchestras in various states of major distress. And, although the Utah Symphony has endured some very trying and difficult times over the past decade, we have not been taken to (or over) the … [Read more...]
Issue: December 2011
This has been a time of significant change for the Utah Symphony. After a three-year international search, Thierry Fischer was engaged as our music director. The Swiss-born conductor has inspired the orchestra and reignited enthusiasm for the Utah Symphony throughout the community. He is an energetic and dynamic leader with vision. It has also been a transitional time for us, as there has been … [Read more...]
Issue: June 2010
The New York City Opera, after a year of being homeless, is very much alive and thriving back home in the newly renovated David H. Koch Theater (formerly the NY State Theater). The orchestra committee reports that, most importantly for the orchestra, the renovations include a wonderful, enlarged pit, which can be raised to various heights—including stage level—enabling the theater to be used for … [Read more...]
Issue: June 2008
It is important to pass along our memories about the formation and advancement of our orchestras, for orchestra histories can reveal a great deal. Just take a look at our collective bargaining agreements—between the lines they document many instances of improvements and abuses that explain what might otherwise remain puzzling. I suspect there are a great many stories attached to CBA clauses that … [Read more...]
Issue: October 2007
Newslets are compiled with the help of ICSOM delegates and ICSOM Members at Large from sources that include direct submissions, member orchestra websites, and topical news items. The editor encourages input and submissions. The musicians of the Utah Symphony performed a free concert on September 24 at Emery High School in Castledale, Utah, to honor the memory of the miners and rescuers who … [Read more...]
Issue: October 2007
[Editor's Note: Watch for ICSOM settlement bulletins to learn the details of these settlements. Those bulletins are sent to each delegate and can also be found on the ICSOM website at www.icsom.org.] In the spring of 2007, members of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra voted in a contract renewal team (Brad Buckley, Erik Harris, Susan Slaughter, Bjorn Ranheim, and David DeRiso) in preparation … [Read more...]
Issue: July 2006
Minnesota Orchestra’s ICSOM delegate, librarian Paul Gunther, was recently named the administrator of ICSOM’s mailing lists. Paul reports that the Minnesota Orchestra will tour European summer festivals at the end of August. Because of the tour, this may be the first ICSOM Conference that will see no delegate from the Minnesota Orchestra in attendance. Another consequence of the August tour will … [Read more...]
Issue: March 2005
The 2004–05 season marks the Indianapolis Symphony’s 75th anniversary. There have been many activities to celebrate the occasion, including a local half-hour PBS special and a new book about the orchestra’s history entitled Crescendo (advertised in the International Musician). Indianapolis has just ended a CEO search that included musician involvement. Replacing the retiring CEO, Richard … [Read more...]
