Issue: December 2018
Haitian music students, Denver-area dialysis patients, and local dog lovers: all benefited from the talents and generosity of more than two dozen Colorado Symphony (CS) musicians in 2018. In June, two CS musicians made their third trip to Haiti to mentor young musicians. Regionally, DaVita Dialysis Centers became miniature concert halls in September for “A Day of Music.” On October 7, the Concert … [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: December 2018
Si Otsedoha: We’re Still Here The North Carolina Symphony (NCS) gave powerful, emotional performances of the new work Si Otsedoha (We’re Still Here) across the state of North Carolina during one week in October. Cherokee Central Schools students from the Cherokee Chamber Singers performed in traditional Cherokee garments. Audiences in Raleigh, Wilmington, Boone, and Cherokee gave the work … [Read more...]
Issue: December 2018
Note: The following is the text of a speech delivered at a Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra concert on October 28, the day after the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. Good afternoon. My name is Stephen Kostyniak, I am a member of the French horn section of the Pittsburgh Symphony, and this year I am chair of the Orchestra Committee of the PSO Musicians. Speaking in the … [Read more...]
Issue: December 2018
My mind has been dwelling inordinately of late on loss; my father-in-law passed away on October 28. Of course, loss is inevitable, for none of us is immortal. But his death was not the result of the inevitable toll of time and aging. Rather, it occurred in tragic circumstances. The news reports of the incident did not give his name or condition, but merely reported that an 80-year old man had … [Read more...]
Issue: October 2018
The 56th annual ICSOM conference was held August 22–25 and hosted by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Local 1. The conference was held this year at the Cincinnati Hilton Netherland Plaza, a magnificent historic hotel in the heart of downtown Cincinnati. The conference included the usual variety of reports, presentations and discussions. The schedule also included more opportunities for … [Read more...]
Issue: October 2018
In celebration of the centenary of Nelson Mandela’s birth, the Minnesota Orchestra recently performed in five cities throughout South Africa following a return performance at the BBC Proms in London. The orchestra had the distinct honor of being the first professional orchestra from the United States to visit South Africa. Following our historic—and for the orchestra, transformational—tour to Cuba … [Read more...]
Issue: Chairperson's Reports
One of the responsibilities of my position that I feel most acutely is the need to be the public voice of ICSOM. I am afforded several opportunities to do so on a regular basis, including this column in each issue of Senza Sordino, and the opening address to our annual conference. While it feels gratifying to be an advocate for our orchestras and our art form, there are times when some … [Read more...]
Issue: October 2018
For many years, Paul Gunther has been the caretaker of Orchestra-L, ICSOM’s established and official listserv. As the owner and chief moderator of the list, Paul led the four-member team that approved new subscribers as well as the news items and follow-up comments that appeared there. In addition, Paul became accustomed to the quirks of working with the Yahoo group list, and there were … [Read more...]
Issue: October 2018
After ten long and painful years, the Musicians and Board of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO) agreed to a progressive contract this summer that provides the first real economic gains for the musicians since 2008. Because central Ohio is a large and very prosperous part of our country, it has been difficult and frustrating waiting for this recovery to begin. Many CSO musicians have wondered … [Read more...]
