Photo Credit: Paul Austin

Now that 2023 has arrived, ICSOM has some notable updates to several of our online offerings. All of them include a passing of the torch from the person who made each of these programs successful.

Website Transformation

If you have not visited icsom.org since last year, its recent transformation will probably surprise you. Our website began in 1995 and was completely redesigned by former ICSOM webmaster Martha Warrington (violist, Oregon Symphony, retired, pictured below) in 2012. For over ten years, Martha’s  generosity in building and maintaining our website—at no cost—benefited ICSOM greatly, but she recently informed us that it needed to be upgraded by someone else soon since she was retiring. Thanks to LinkedIn, I discovered that Bert Witzel (bassist, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, pictured below) is an accomplished web designer, so I approached him in the summer of 2021 about renovating ICSOM’s site. Bert did much research regarding suitable platforms to make the website more compatible for mobile and tablet devices, which became necessary because the original website had been envisioned primarily for desktop and laptop use. Martha and Bert worked together to discuss the important features of ICSOM’s website, and the transfer occurred in January 2023 (as reported by Bert in the December 2022 issue of Senza Sordino).

Incoming webmaster Bert Witzel (left) with longtime webmaster Martha Warrington (right)

Conductor Evaluation Program

Photo credit: Martin Hogan

The founder of our online Conductor Evaluation Program (CEP) will also step down from the Administrator position shortly. Barb Corbató (violist and ICSOM Delegate/Grand Rapids Symphony) became our first Administrator of ICSOM’s online CEP in fall 2017. As reported in the December 2017 issue of Senza Sordino, Barb and I worked together to establish the CEP, which went live in early 2018 (see Senza Sordino, December 2017).

Five years later, the CEP remains a vital resource for ICSOM, with nearly one hundred online evaluations of sixty-eight conductors completed by eight ICSOM orchestras. Several ICSOM orchestras have used the CEP for their music director search process instead of their own in-house evaluation, and orchestra managers have requested files from our CEP to gather musicians’ confidential input to help decide whether to rehire guest conductors or renew their current conductors. It saddens me to see Barb step down from this role but I am pleased to announce that Brian Magnus (cellist and ICSOM Delegate/Jacksonville Symphony) will take over the reins from Barb beginning in September 2023. Brian has used the CEP frequently and is familiar with our system. Currently Barb and I are working with Brian for a smooth transition in these duties so that there will be no interruption in service for ICSOM’s online CEP.

Brian Magnus
Photo Credit: Tiffany Manning

ICSOM is indebted to Martha Warrington and Barb Corbató for their dedication to these two important activities. Thanks to their work, our website has been recognized by the Library of Congress as a leading resource for research and our CEP provides a confidential and secure method for ICSOM musicians to evaluate conductors. ICSOM knows that we are in good hands with Bert Witzel and Brian Magnus, and we wish them well in the continuation of the high quality of our website and CEP.

DEI Video Series

In spring 2022, I floated to ICSOM’s DEI Committee and Governing Board the idea of a diversity video series that would feature our membership, and I was pleased to receive their enthusiastic support. Off the bat we aimed high by scoring an engaging interview with Joseph Conyers (bassist, Philadelphia Orchestra), and I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know many of ICSOM’s Musicians of Color through this venture. However, to keep our DEI video series fresh, I always envisioned an annual change in host. It has been wonderful to launch the “ICSOM Musician Profiles: Celebrating Racial Diversity” series with tremendous guests but, as in all startups, its success will only be ensured if it can survive beyond the vision of its founder. I am convinced that this series will do so, and we will be revealing a new host on our June 1 video. Make sure to tune in at our website: https://www.icsom.org/media/profiles.php!

Keeping it new and exciting—that’s how ICSOM will continue to be relevant and vital into the future. But for this to happen we would appreciate your support today by visiting our website, participating in our CEP, and watching the videos on our “Musician Profiles” series.