Issue: December 2005
I joined the American Federation of Musicians when I was just a teenager, and I still have my first union card to prove it. This was the late ’70s, and it was an amazing time for me. I was hearing Miles Davis’s music for the first time and performing it. I was hearing Beethoven’s Fifth for the first time and performing it. I was playing in concert halls, in country bars behind chicken wire … [Read more...]
Issue: October 2005
Recently I have been reading Julie Ayer's excellent book, More Than Meets the Ear: How Symphony Musicians Made Labor History. It has been fascinating to learn more about the brave musicians who founded ICSOM back in 1962. Prior to ICSOM, only one orchestra participated directly in the negotiation of its own contract. In the 43-year existence of ICSOM, astonishing progress has been made for the … [Read more...]
Issue: June 2005
The President’s column typically covers aspects of recent orchestra negotiations. While many were rightfully concerned with negotiations last fall, few were prepared for what unfolded in St. Louis. I would like to offer some thoughts on one effect of the St. Louis melee. On March 13 I had the distinct pleasure to join more than thirty musicians from ten ICSOM orchestras who traveled to perform … [Read more...]
Issue: March 2005
The 2004‒05 fall season began on a somber note for our ICSOM orchestras that were encountering formidable challenges at the table. Opening concerts, usually filled with great excitement and anticipation, were hampered by exceptionally difficult and contentious negotiations, the likes of which many of us have never seen before. All eyes in the orchestral world were on the events unfolding in … [Read more...]
