{"id":4390,"date":"2026-08-19T16:57:52","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T20:57:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.icsom.org\/senzasordino\/?p=4390"},"modified":"2026-08-19T16:57:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T20:57:52","slug":"a-year-of-progress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.icsom.org\/senzasordino\/2026\/08\/a-year-of-progress\/","title":{"rendered":"A Year of Progress"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_3168\" style=\"width: 260px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3168\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3168\" src=\"https:\/\/www.icsom.org\/senzasordino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/KeithCarrick.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"294\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-3168\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"photocredit\">Photo credit: Scott Jarvie<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s been an especially full year for ICSOM. The Governing Board has supported musicians through difficult workplace and bargaining situations, continued our partnership with RAINN through a presentation on bystander intervention, visited orchestras in Rochester and Kansas City, and spent countless hours preparing for this year&#8217;s conference. Alongside the AFM and ROPA, we also began negotiations for a new Integrated Media Agreement, including caucus meetings and bargaining sessions with the Employers\u2019 Media Association.<\/p>\n<p>Much of this work remains ongoing. Union work rarely provides the satisfaction of a clean ending. Negotiations continue, workplace problems evolve, and one completed project is quickly replaced by another. Still, it is important to recognize progress when we make it.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>At the 103rd AFM Convention in Ottawa, delegates approved our proposal to modernize the AFM Symphony-Opera Strike Fund.<\/p>\n<p>The Strike Fund is one of the most important tools available to musicians during a work stoppage. It provides direct support to striking members, but its importance is also strategic: a meaningful strike benefit gives musicians greater confidence to reject an inadequate agreement and gives employers a reason to take our collective power seriously.<\/p>\n<p>Over time, the Strike Fund\u2019s contribution and benefit structure had fallen behind the changing economics of our orchestras. The approved changes add more contribution and benefit levels and remove the outdated link between an orchestra\u2019s minimum salary and the tier at which it may participate. Each orchestra will be able to choose the level that makes sense for its members, with the approval of its Local, while the Strike Fund\u2019s basic safeguards and voluntary structure remain intact.<\/p>\n<p>This was not a last-minute accomplishment. For months, we spoke with Locals, orchestra committees, AFM officers, and delegates. We listened to concerns, clarified the proposal, made adjustments, and continued building support. Its passage was the result of patient organizing and the participation of many people who took the time to understand the issue and advocate for it.<\/p>\n<p>The convention itself was not always easy. It was, at times, stressful, contentious, and difficult. Delegates debated serious questions about the future of the AFM, often with strong feelings and different perspectives. I am happy to report, though, that our Strike Fund resolution was non-controversial and passed with a unanimous vote.<\/p>\n<p>Since returning from Ottawa, however, I have found myself grateful for what we witnessed there: a raw, vibrant, and deeply human form of democracy. This process can be frustrating and imperfect, but it is also valuable, especially at a time when democratic institutions and workers\u2019 rights are under extraordinary pressure.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re also busy finalizing this year&#8217;s conference in Honolulu. ICSOM orchestras cover an enormous geographic area, and musicians in cities far from the usual centers of our industry can understandably feel distant from their colleagues. Emails, Zoom meetings, and phone calls help us stay connected, but they cannot fully replace showing up. Having a physical presence communicates something important: you are not peripheral to this organization, and your struggles are not yours to face alone.<\/p>\n<p>Hawai\u2018i is, of course, a beautiful place to visit. Living and working here, however, presents serious challenges, including an extraordinarily high cost of living, geographic isolation, and the economic realities of residing in a place heavily shaped by tourism.<\/p>\n<p>Some of these circumstances are unique to Hawai\u2018i, while others will feel familiar. Many ICSOM musicians are confronting housing costs that have risen far faster than wages. Many are asking whether a professional orchestral salary still provides a realistic path toward stability, homeownership, raising a family, and retirement.<\/p>\n<p>Our time here will allow delegates to learn more about the specific history and circumstances of the Hawai\u2018i Symphony Orchestra, as well as to examine their own institutions more carefully. What pressures are developing in our communities? What opportunities are we overlooking? What can another orchestra\u2019s experience teach us about the warning signs, possibilities, and choices in front of us?<\/p>\n<p>That exchange is one of the most important functions of an ICSOM conference. We come together not because every orchestra is the same, but because each has something to teach the others.<\/p>\n<p>The year ahead will bring another full agenda. We will begin preparing for our 2027 conference in New York City. We will explore improvements to the ICSOM website and directory to help members more easily find the information they need. We will continue to monitor developing situations in several orchestras and offer assistance where needed. And we will remain engaged in the IMA negotiations, working toward an agreement that protects musicians, reflects contemporary media use, and provides fair compensation.<\/p>\n<p>It has been a big year for ICSOM. We should be proud of what we accomplished, grateful to everyone who contributed, and clear-eyed about the work still ahead. There will also be challenges we cannot yet anticipate. But this year has reminded me that progress is possible when we organize carefully, listen to one another, and keep showing up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s been an especially full year for ICSOM. The Governing Board has supported musicians through difficult workplace and bargaining situations, continued our partnership with RAINN through a presentation on bystander intervention, visited orchestras in Rochester and Kansas City, and spent countless hours preparing for this year&#8217;s conference. Alongside the AFM and ROPA, we also began&#8230; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.icsom.org\/senzasordino\/2026\/08\/a-year-of-progress\/\">[Read more]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3168,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[278],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-august-2026","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A Year of Progress | Senza Sordino<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.icsom.org\/senzasordino\/2026\/08\/a-year-of-progress\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Year of Progress | Senza Sordino\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It\u2019s been an especially full year for ICSOM. The Governing Board has supported musicians through difficult workplace and bargaining situations, continued our partnership with RAINN through a presentation on bystander intervention, visited orchestras in Rochester and Kansas City, and spent countless hours preparing for this year&#8217;s conference. Alongside the AFM and ROPA, we also began... 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