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Note: historical quotations in this article use outdated language that may be jarring for the modern reader.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...]
Issue: March 2020
ICSOM’s online resources are recognized as being important to the arts world today and into the future. In February 2020, the US Library of Congress contacted ICSOM Chairperson Meredith Snow to inform us that our website was selected for inclusion in their historical collection of online materials. Their invitation stated that their web archives “… are important because they contribute to the … [Read more...]
Issue: December 2019
In 1858, during a campaign speech for the US Senate, Abraham Lincoln stated, “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” referring to the need for our country to agree about the slavery issue—or face destruction. While he lost that specific election to Stephen A. Douglas, we know that Lincoln eventually was victorious, both in winning the presidential election two years later and (posthumously) … [Read more...]
Issue: October 2019
This past year, ICSOM Chairperson Meredith Snow and I coauthored articles and worked together in establishing relationships with important media contacts. In advance of ICSOM’s annual conference in August, we spoke about our upcoming event with two local journalists: a reporter from a Salt Lake City newspaper and a Utah arts critic. While their articles were published just a few hours apart, they … [Read more...]
