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...]
Issue: December 2021
As ICSOM approaches its 60th anniversary, it was enlightening for me to review the role that women have played in our organization. Upon reading the minutes of our early conferences in the 1960s, it was noticeable that almost no women were mentioned. Of course this would be reflective of the small number of women in ICSOM orchestras at that time, but it was good to see that there was a female … [Read more...]
Issue: October 2021
In September 2021, former ICSOM Chair Bruce Ridge and I spent a residency week in Puerto Rico to support the musicians of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, PRSO), a member of ICSOM since 2003. It was my first visit to Puerto Rico, and it was very special to be in San Juan during the city’s 500th anniversary year. I quickly grew to understand the allure of … [Read more...]
Issue: June 2021
Note: historical quotations in this article use outdated language that may be jarring for the modern reader. “There is not now, nor has there ever been, a representative number of blacks and other minorities within the ranks of North America's symphony, opera and ballet orchestras.” This statement was made at an ICSOM conference in 1989 in a presentation by Daniel Windham, the Music Assistance … [Read more...]
Issue: March 2021
It was one year ago this month that our world changed drastically. Many ICSOM musicians were in the midst of rehearsing for upcoming performances when they were instructed to pack up all belongings, go home, and await further instructions. In the weeks that followed, daily schedules were upended. Survival mode kicked in, and many examined the usual steps of their normal routines for revised ways … [Read more...]
Issue: December 2020
ICSOM recently launched a highly-successful Phone2Action (P2A) initiative to support the musicians of the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra (PRSO) in their “Save the Symphony” campaign. Long before the global pandemic, the salaries and pension of the PRSO musicians, as well as the funding for their prestigious Casals Festival, were in jeopardy. With a proposed 50% cut to the orchestra’s budget by … [Read more...]
Issue: August 2020
A highlight of the 2020 ICSOM conference was the session Health and Safety in the Workplace: Our New COVID-19 World, led by three professionals, each of whom brought an important perspective to the conversation, and moderated by ICSOM counsel Kevin Case. Thanks to ICSOM Treasurer Michael Moore, the Governing Board became aware of Dr. Carlos del Rio’s work as a result of the presentation he gave … [Read more...]
Issue: June 2020
There is no question that right now is an incredibly challenging time for all of us. This pandemic is causing both a health and economic crisis like none other we have seen. The number one concern that ICSOM has is for the health and well-being of the nearly 4000 musicians of our 52 orchestras, who have not been able to perform their jobs in person now for months due to COVID-19. While we have … [Read more...]
