Issue: July 2024
It all started because my colleagues knew that I had never been to San Francisco. That was the location of the 2007 ROPA conference, and they thought that their gay colleague should be the ROPA delegate for the Grand Rapids Symphony and take a trip to this city with so much LGBTQ history. So I took the bait, ran for office, won the election, and headed to San Francisco a few months later. Boy, … [Read more...]
Issue: April 2024
As ICSOM President, I have had the privilege of meeting and interacting with many musicians. Here are three that come to mind whenever I need a moment to be inspired and encouraged about our future. Violist Rebecca Matayoshi Last spring I interviewed the Hawai'i Symphony Orchestra's current ICSOM delegate, violist Rebecca Matayoshi, for our "Musician Profiles: Celebrating Racial Diversity" … [Read more...]
Issue: December 2023
During the 2022–23 season, I visited ten ICSOM orchestras where I met with musician committees. The common theme for all of the groups was a need for cohesion with their colleagues on the heels of the pandemic. As a result, ICSOM Chairperson Keith Carrick and I presented a breakout session “Building Cohesive Colleagues” at the 2023 ICSOM conference in Milwaukee. Many of the ideas that Keith and … [Read more...]
Issue: October 2023
At the close of our 61st annual conference, Meredith Snow ended a lengthy eighteen-year tenure as a member of ICSOM’s Governing Board. When she attended her first ICSOM conference in 2002, Meredith served as the ICSOM delegate for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Three years later in San Diego, the delegates elected Meredith as a member-at-large on the Governing Board, a position that she would … [Read more...]
Issue: June 2023
It has been said that one acting alone could get the job done quickly, but that they may go farther and have a greater impact by including others in the process. With that ensemble spirit in mind, here are a few examples of how ICSOM and the AFM have been working together recently for the furtherment of our membership. As an example, the delegates of our orchestras have repeatedly requested a … [Read more...]
Issue: March 2023
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 … [Read more...]
Issue: December 2022
Now in my third term as ICSOM President, I am fortunate to have visited a number of our 53 member orchestras. As such trips were paused during the pandemic, I really am glad to be able to return to these in-person meetings, to assist in building the level of open communication that is needed between ICSOM and musician leaders. My fall 2022 travels provided the opportunity for me to meet with … [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: July 2022
The gatherings and work of ICSOM’s DEI Committee have reached a new level of vibrancy and activity in recent months. On June 1st, ICSOM launched a new monthly video series called Musician Profiles: Celebrating Racial Diversity, which I am proud to host. These one-on-one interviews focus on hearing and lifting the words of ICSOM Musicians of Color, their experiences, and how they view the need … [Read more...]
Issue: April 2022
By Paul Austin What’s in a number? This column addresses the sixties in three different ways: the 60th anniversary of ICSOM, the decade of our founding, and ICSOM’s dedicated musicians who both were born in the sixties and have reached that age (or will do so soon). 2022 marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of ICSOM. It is a pleasure and an honor to host our significant celebration … [Read more...]
