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Chairperson's Reports

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Highway 23 Revisited: A look back at ICSOM’s 2012 keynote address at the University of Michigan

Issue: Chairperson's Reports

By Bruce Ridge

Recently I was speaking with a group of young musicians preparing to embark upon their professional careers. We were covering many of the issues that symphonic musicians must confront and exploring the important role that advocacy will play for the next generation of orchestral players. Of course, the musicians were interested in the recent, well-publicized difficulties in the field, such as last … [Read more...]

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Last Year’s Words and Next Year’s Voices

Issue: Chairperson's Reports

By Bruce Ridge

In February of 1979, I joined my first professional orchestra at the age of fifteen. I remember everything about the night of my first concert, and I still have the program as if to prove it really happened. I remember how my 100% polyester tuxedo didn’t fit all that well, and how my giant bow tie was probably more appropriate for those awkward senior prom photographs than for the orchestra’s … [Read more...]

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Chairperson’s Report

Issue: Chairperson's Reports

By Bruce Ridge

When Congress began its session on September 9, the members returned to Washington to address many pressing issues for our nation. Of course, whether or not they have any real intention of addressing any of those issues is a matter of debate, and we can leave that shouting match to the circus currently on 24-hour display on the various cable news outlets. But one issue in the budget debate is of … [Read more...]

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Microcosms of the Great Divide

Issue: Chairperson's Reports

By Bruce Ridge

In a time when we all are confronted with a daily onslaught of pessimism, some good news could be found in the release of the BCA (Business Committee for the Arts) National Survey of Business Support for the Arts, conducted by our friends at Americans for the Arts. The survey, which can be obtained here, found that arts contributions continue to recover from the depths of the recession. From … [Read more...]

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The Myth of the Graying Audience

Issue: Chairperson's Reports

On New Year’s morning, I rolled over as my clock radio turned on to NPR’s Morning Edition, as it does every morning far earlier than I ever expect. This day I was surprised to hear my own voice during a feature on the state of orchestras in America from a phone interview I had done some weeks earlier. The reporter introduced me as a bassist “with the South Carolina Symphony,” a fact I found even … [Read more...]

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Bloggin’ (on a Sunday afternoon)

Issue: Chairperson's Reports

By Bruce Ridge

I really should know better by now. I should know not to read the comments section on any article anywhere, whether it is about a sporting event or a political campaign or (perhaps especially) an orchestra. Far too often these comments provide an unedited forum for hatred and resentment often spewed by isolated people who find themselves irresistibly offered a vast Internet of readers they … [Read more...]

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Chairperson’s Report

Issue: August 2012

In San Antonio on June 8, the non-profit arts advocacy group Americans for the Arts released its new extensive study on the economic impact of the arts. Arts and Economic Prosperity IV is the first such comprehensive study done since the onset of the recession. While the numbers are down from the 2007 study (Arts and Economic Prosperity III), the new report demonstrates clearly that the non-profit … [Read more...]

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Honoring the Former Chairs of ICSOM

Issue: Chairperson's Reports

By Bruce Ridge

As ICSOM prepares to celebrate our 50th anniversary this August in Chicago, I have been studying the lives and work of the musicians who have held the position of ICSOM chairperson before me, and I am humbled and inspired by their accomplishments. I suspect, though, that many of our current members are unfamiliar with the names and accomplishments of the leaders who are so responsible for the … [Read more...]

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Chairperson’s Report

Issue: Chairperson's Reports

By Bruce Ridge

I’ve been reviewing some recent headlines from the national press: Colorado Symphony (cue drumroll) is back in the black ...the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra will make its long-awaited debut March 4, marking the return of a professional orchestra to the state more than two years after the Honolulu Symphony played its final note. ...another milestone in Alabama Symphony’s rise. Buffalo … [Read more...]

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The Perilous Life of Symphony Orchestras: Artistic Triumphs and Economic Challenges

Issue: Chairperson's Reports

A Book Review by Bruce Ridge

Title: The Perilous Life of Symphony Orchestras: Artistic Triumphs and Economic Challenges Author: Robert J. Flanagan Publisher: Yale University Press Publication Date: January 24, 2012 [December 05, 2011 according to publisher website] ISBN: 9780300171938 Hardcover: 240 pages No one is going to read this book. Well, perhaps I exaggerate. A handful of people will read this book, and … [Read more...]

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