Issue: December 2022
When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in March of 2020 I was furloughed from my job as section double bass with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and stuck in my small apartment in downtown Indianapolis with little to do. I had to figure out something to do with all of the free time I suddenly found myself with, so I picked up where I left off a few years ago with a computer coding course through … [Read more...]
Issue: December 2022
The Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra has enjoyed a longstanding and fulfilling relationship with our neighbors at Miriam’s Kitchen (https://www.miriamskitchen.org), an organization whose mission is to end chronic homelessness. The Miriam’s Kitchen team engages their guests with healthy, made-from-scratch meals and helps connect them with personalized social services that can help them rebuild … [Read more...]
Issue: November 2022
Tom Hall’s ICSOM: Fifty Years of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians begins with the following: “On May 12 and 13, 1962, a ‘Symposium of Symphony Orchestra Delegates’ was held in Chicago. The meeting was called in preparation for a symposium of orchestra representatives and local union officials to be convened at the invitation of the American Federation of Musicians in … [Read more...]
Issue: Chairperson's Reports
Much hangs in the balance with the outcome of the 2022 midterm election. Republicans, who appear poised to take control of the House as I write this column, have openly promised to stall Biden’s Democratic agenda until after the 2024 presidential election. They have also explicitly threatened to force a default on US Treasury debt unless they obtain cuts to programs like Social Security and … [Read more...]
Issue: November 2022
Once viewed as a slang term when asking someone to go away, advising someone to take a hike these days could be a solution to the polarization that we observe in today’s world. Last July, I attended a two-day online conference of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS). Of the many presentations, “The Way Out: How to Overcome Toxic Polarization” was a session that really caught my … [Read more...]
Issue: Counsel's Columns
By Kevin Case The 2022 “bargaining season” is coming to a close. Most orchestras with expired CBAs have settled, though there are a few exceptions. I personally handled 10 negotiations, and I have some thoughts on how things went. This round of bargaining was not focused as squarely on pandemic-related issues as in 2021, though of course COVID-19 always lurks in the background. Some … [Read more...]
Issue: November 2022
By Helen Reich, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra In April 2022, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra performed our first “sensory friendly” concert, a long-term goal of Education Director Rebecca Whitney. Several years ago, she started to think about presenting sensory friendly concerts, but as our home was a multi-purpose, county-owned facility, we would not have been able to make the necessary … [Read more...]
Issue: November 2022
Resolution adopted remembering former ICSOM Secretary Nancy Page Griffin Submitted by the ICSOM Governing Board Whereas, Nancy Page Griffin, who faithfully served ICSOM as its Secretary from 1980 to 1988 when, following the September 1988 decertification of the Seattle Symphony from the AFM, she was forced to resign from that position; and Whereas, Her contributions as Secretary and … [Read more...]
Issue: July 2022
As ICSOM Chairperson Meredith Snow stated in her April 2022 Senza Sordino report, “Building Inclusion into our New Normal,” American symphony orchestra musicians have long been champions of our nation’s highest aspirations for supporting peace, equal rights, and efforts against discrimination. The historical racism in the orchestra world at the formation of our industry in the early 20th … [Read more...]
Issue: July 2022
Listen-Respect-Collaborate. Using these three core values as guides, the Minnesota Orchestra has taken a multifaceted approach to DEI work since 2015. What started as an ad hoc diversity committee of musicians and staff members quickly expanded to include board members and staff conductor Roderick Cox. But where are my manners? Before I go any further, please let me introduce you to AMELIA. … [Read more...]
