International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians
Encyclopedia
The International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM)http://www.icsom.org is a Players' Conference of the American Federation of Musicians
(AFM)http://www.afm.org ICSOM represents over 4,000 symphonic musicians in the top 51 AFM orchestras in the United States
and Puerto Rico
. It is a voluntary organization that is supported entirely by a voluntary dues structure.
ICSOM’s key mission is to facilitate communication between its member orchestras, the delegates, the governing board and other members of the greater musical community and to offer support and assistance when possible. One of ICSOM’s most important roles is to hold an annual conference each year where elected delegates from each member orchestra
participate in discussions and workshops regarding labor law, collective bargaining
, contract administration, internal organizing, and negotiating strategies. Additionally, all member orchestra delegates are assigned to one of 4 Members-at-Large who, as members of ICSOM governing board, communicate information to and from the entire governing board. ICSOM also retains legal counsel, and is available to member orchestras for advice.
The official newsletter of ICSOM is Senza Sordino "without mute" http://www.icsom.org/senza.html, which is published at least 4 times annually. Since the very beginning ICSOM has collected data regarding individual collective bargaining agreements that continues to be published (now by the American Federation of Musicians
) annually – the ICSOM Wage Chart. Whenever an orchestra settles a new contract, details are supplied through ICSOM Settlement Bulletinshttp://www.icsom.org/settlement.html. Another publication of ICSOM is the ICSOM Directory which is published every year and contains not only the rosters of every member orchestra but emeriti from those constituent orchestras who wish to remain in communication with ICSOM and their colleagues.
In the last two decades ICSOM has moved onto the World Wide Web with a website http://www.icsom.org and mailing lists that are open to various constituent subscribers – Orchestra-L http://www.icsom.org/orchestra-l.html and Delegate-L.
ICSOM is also an advocate for its member orchestras on a national level. ICSOM governing board members meet frequently with AFM officers and staff to discuss matters of concern to all its orchestras. ICSOM’s electronic media committee has been involved for many decades as representatives at the bargaining table regarding national media agreements used by orchestras. ICSOM also works with other national organizations to represent the interests of its member orchestras and musicians in Washington DC and elsewhere. In March 2009, ICSOM Chairman Bruce Ridge
appeared before Congress. His testimony before the House Committee on Education and Labor on the economic impact of the arts and music industry can be viewed on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVs3ChWxb8U
ICSOM has had amazing success over the past 40-plus years. Its orchestras have grown from salaries of $5,000 for six-months of work to more than 20 orchestras with 52-week seasons, and an average of 40 weeks for all its members. Orchestras now participate directly in negotiations, ratify their agreements, and retain legal counsel of the orchestra’s choice. Protections such as tenure
, peer review
, and non-discrimination are key components in orchestra contracts. ICSOM was responsible for the establishment of the AFM Symphonic Services Division http://www.afm.org/public/departments/ssd.php and the AFM Strike Fund.
ICSOM was formally established in 1962 in Chicago
and Cleveland by delegates from US and Canadian orchestras. For 44 years ICSOM’s mission has been dedicated to “the promotion of a better and more rewarding livelihood for the skilled orchestral performer and to the enrichment of the cultural life of our society.”
ICSOM began as an organization dedicated to assisting orchestra musicians who were finding their locals
(individual “branches” of the American Federation of Musicians
of the US and Canada) either uncooperative or unwilling to allow direct musician participation in collective bargaining of their agreements. Each orchestra’s agreement is negotiated between the local and the management of that particular orchestra. For years these orchestra agreements were negotiated by local officers with less than adequate knowledge of the orchestra industry - they knew pop
, big band
, jazz
and other types of freelance work. In most cases there was little or no input by the musicians, and most musicians were not even allowed to ratify their own agreements.
So, in 1962, members of US and Canadian orchestras began to meet and discuss ways they could communicate with each other, drafted bylaws, and began pushing the AFM for formal recognition of ICSOM as a conference of the AFM. Actual conference status was not conferred upon ICSOM until 1969. ICSOM’s example, and successes over the years inspired other groups to organize into formal conferences as well – the Recording Musicians Association (RMA)http://www.rmaweb.org, the Regional Orchestra Players’ Association (ROPA)http://www.ropaweb.org, and the Theater Musicians Association (TMA)http://www.afm-tma.org. ICSOM’s Canadian members left ICSOM when the Organization of Canadian Symphony Musicians
(OCSM/OMOSC)http://www.ocsm-omosc.org was formed in 1975.
In 1967 ICSOM began tabulating conductor evaluations and has nearly 600 different conductors in the current database. ICSOM is also involved in supporting minority-group instrumentalists and currently contributes prize money to winners of the Sphinx Competitionhttp://www.sphinxmusic.org. Orchestras in need of additional financial assistance during a work stoppage also have access ICSOM’s emergency relief fund.
Several books have chronicled the history of ICSOM, including More Than Meets the Ear: How Symphony Musicians Made Labor History by Julie Ayer (Syren Book Companyhttp://www.syrenbooks.com) and Forty Years of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians by Tom Hall (Oscar's House Press).
Current officers of ICSOM are: http://www.icsom.org/gboard.html
American Federation of Musicians
The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada is a labor union of professional musicians in the United States and Canada...
(AFM)http://www.afm.org ICSOM represents over 4,000 symphonic musicians in the top 51 AFM orchestras in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. It is a voluntary organization that is supported entirely by a voluntary dues structure.
ICSOM’s key mission is to facilitate communication between its member orchestras, the delegates, the governing board and other members of the greater musical community and to offer support and assistance when possible. One of ICSOM’s most important roles is to hold an annual conference each year where elected delegates from each member orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
participate in discussions and workshops regarding labor law, collective bargaining
Collective bargaining
Collective bargaining is a process of negotiations between employers and the representatives of a unit of employees aimed at reaching agreements that regulate working conditions...
, contract administration, internal organizing, and negotiating strategies. Additionally, all member orchestra delegates are assigned to one of 4 Members-at-Large who, as members of ICSOM governing board, communicate information to and from the entire governing board. ICSOM also retains legal counsel, and is available to member orchestras for advice.
The official newsletter of ICSOM is Senza Sordino "without mute" http://www.icsom.org/senza.html, which is published at least 4 times annually. Since the very beginning ICSOM has collected data regarding individual collective bargaining agreements that continues to be published (now by the American Federation of Musicians
American Federation of Musicians
The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada is a labor union of professional musicians in the United States and Canada...
) annually – the ICSOM Wage Chart. Whenever an orchestra settles a new contract, details are supplied through ICSOM Settlement Bulletinshttp://www.icsom.org/settlement.html. Another publication of ICSOM is the ICSOM Directory which is published every year and contains not only the rosters of every member orchestra but emeriti from those constituent orchestras who wish to remain in communication with ICSOM and their colleagues.
In the last two decades ICSOM has moved onto the World Wide Web with a website http://www.icsom.org and mailing lists that are open to various constituent subscribers – Orchestra-L http://www.icsom.org/orchestra-l.html and Delegate-L.
ICSOM is also an advocate for its member orchestras on a national level. ICSOM governing board members meet frequently with AFM officers and staff to discuss matters of concern to all its orchestras. ICSOM’s electronic media committee has been involved for many decades as representatives at the bargaining table regarding national media agreements used by orchestras. ICSOM also works with other national organizations to represent the interests of its member orchestras and musicians in Washington DC and elsewhere. In March 2009, ICSOM Chairman Bruce Ridge
Bruce Ridge
Bruce Ridge is an American symphonic bassist, arts advocate, and labor activist. He is currently Chairman of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians and a member of the North Carolina Symphony....
appeared before Congress. His testimony before the House Committee on Education and Labor on the economic impact of the arts and music industry can be viewed on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVs3ChWxb8U
ICSOM has had amazing success over the past 40-plus years. Its orchestras have grown from salaries of $5,000 for six-months of work to more than 20 orchestras with 52-week seasons, and an average of 40 weeks for all its members. Orchestras now participate directly in negotiations, ratify their agreements, and retain legal counsel of the orchestra’s choice. Protections such as tenure
Tenure
Tenure commonly refers to life tenure in a job and specifically to a senior academic's contractual right not to have his or her position terminated without just cause.-19th century:...
, peer review
Peer review
Peer review is a process of self-regulation by a profession or a process of evaluation involving qualified individuals within the relevant field. Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards, improve performance and provide credibility...
, and non-discrimination are key components in orchestra contracts. ICSOM was responsible for the establishment of the AFM Symphonic Services Division http://www.afm.org/public/departments/ssd.php and the AFM Strike Fund.
ICSOM was formally established in 1962 in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and Cleveland by delegates from US and Canadian orchestras. For 44 years ICSOM’s mission has been dedicated to “the promotion of a better and more rewarding livelihood for the skilled orchestral performer and to the enrichment of the cultural life of our society.”
ICSOM began as an organization dedicated to assisting orchestra musicians who were finding their locals
Local union
A local union, often shortened to local, in North America, or a union branch in the United Kingdom and other countries is a locally-based trade union organization which forms part of a larger, usually national, union.Local branches are organized to represent the union's members from a particular...
(individual “branches” of the American Federation of Musicians
American Federation of Musicians
The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada is a labor union of professional musicians in the United States and Canada...
of the US and Canada) either uncooperative or unwilling to allow direct musician participation in collective bargaining of their agreements. Each orchestra’s agreement is negotiated between the local and the management of that particular orchestra. For years these orchestra agreements were negotiated by local officers with less than adequate knowledge of the orchestra industry - they knew pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and other types of freelance work. In most cases there was little or no input by the musicians, and most musicians were not even allowed to ratify their own agreements.
So, in 1962, members of US and Canadian orchestras began to meet and discuss ways they could communicate with each other, drafted bylaws, and began pushing the AFM for formal recognition of ICSOM as a conference of the AFM. Actual conference status was not conferred upon ICSOM until 1969. ICSOM’s example, and successes over the years inspired other groups to organize into formal conferences as well – the Recording Musicians Association (RMA)http://www.rmaweb.org, the Regional Orchestra Players’ Association (ROPA)http://www.ropaweb.org, and the Theater Musicians Association (TMA)http://www.afm-tma.org. ICSOM’s Canadian members left ICSOM when the Organization of Canadian Symphony Musicians
Organization of Canadian Symphony Musicians
The Organization of Canadian Symphony Musicians is a bilingual conference of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada. OCSM represents Canada's professional symphony musicians of which there are twenty member orchestras with approximately one thousand musicians...
(OCSM/OMOSC)http://www.ocsm-omosc.org was formed in 1975.
In 1967 ICSOM began tabulating conductor evaluations and has nearly 600 different conductors in the current database. ICSOM is also involved in supporting minority-group instrumentalists and currently contributes prize money to winners of the Sphinx Competitionhttp://www.sphinxmusic.org. Orchestras in need of additional financial assistance during a work stoppage also have access ICSOM’s emergency relief fund.
Several books have chronicled the history of ICSOM, including More Than Meets the Ear: How Symphony Musicians Made Labor History by Julie Ayer (Syren Book Companyhttp://www.syrenbooks.com) and Forty Years of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians by Tom Hall (Oscar's House Press).
Current officers of ICSOM are: http://www.icsom.org/gboard.html
- Bruce RidgeBruce RidgeBruce Ridge is an American symphonic bassist, arts advocate, and labor activist. He is currently Chairman of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians and a member of the North Carolina Symphony....
, chairman (North Carolina SymphonyNorth Carolina SymphonyThe North Carolina Symphony is an American orchestra based in Raleigh, North Carolina, with sixty-nine full time musicians. The orchestra performs in Meymandi Concert Hall and performs occasionally with the Carolina Ballet and the The Opera Company of North Carolina. In 2007, the organization...
)http://www.ncsymphony.org - Brian Rood, president (Kansas City SymphonyKansas City SymphonyThe Kansas City Symphony is a United States symphony orchestra based in Kansas City, Missouri. The current music director is conductor Michael Stern. The current home of the Symphony is the Lyric Theatre, located in Downtown Kansas City on 11th Street between Wyandotte and Central Streets...
)http://kcsymphony.org - Laura Ross, secretary (Nashville Symphony OrchestraNashville Symphony OrchestraThe Nashville Symphony is an American symphony orchestra, based in Nashville, Tennessee. The orchestra performs 140 concerts annually.-History:...
)http://www.nashvillesymphony.org - Michael Moore, treasurer (Atlanta Symphony OrchestraAtlanta Symphony OrchestraThe Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Robert Spano has been its music director since 2001...
)http://www.atlantasymphony.org - Richard Levine, editor of Senza Sordino (San Diego SymphonySan Diego SymphonyThe San Diego Symphony is an American symphony orchestra, based in San Diego, California. On 6 December 1910, it gave its first concert as the San Diego Civic Orchestra.Currently, the Symphony performs over 100 concerts each season...
)http://www.sandiegosymphony.com - Paul Gunther, member-at-large (Minnesota OrchestraMinnesota OrchestraThe Minnesota Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.Emil Oberhoffer founded the orchestra as the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra in 1903, and it gave its first performance on November 5 of that year. In 1968 the orchestra changed to its name to the Minnesota Orchestra...
)http://minnesotaorchestra.org - Matthew Comerford, member-at-large (Lyric Orchestra of Chicago)http://www.lyricopera.org
- Cathy Payne, member-at-large (San Francisco SymphonySan Francisco SymphonyThe San Francisco Symphony is an orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980, the orchestra has performed at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus are part of the organization...
)http://www.sfsymphony.org - Meredith Snow, member-at-large (Los Angeles PhilharmonicLos Angeles PhilharmonicThe Los Angeles Philharmonic is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, United States. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from July through September...
)http://www.laphil.org - General Counsel: Susan Martin