ICSOM Marks 61 Years and Counting

August 1, 2023

IM  -  

by Paul Austin, ICSOM President and member of Local 56 (Grand Rapids, MI)

The 61st annual conference of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM) will be hosted by AFM Local 8 (Milwaukee, WI), and the musicians of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (MSO). The conference will be held from Wednesday, August 23, through Saturday, August 26, at the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The only other time that ICSOM has held its annual conference in Milwaukee was in 1981. So much has changed since that visit. As detailed in the “Orchestra Projects of Note” presentation at the 2022 ICSOM conference, the MSO’s newly renovated hall, the historic Warner Grand Theater, is located at the Bradley Symphony Center. It is prominently featured on our 60th annual conference commemorative video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sp1olednP-I&t=5s. In the video, Helen Reich, MSO’s ICSOM delegate, presents details about the massive project of turning the old movie theater into today’s vibrant venue for MSO. The Bradley Symphony Center is located just two blocks from the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee, and tours of the hall will occur during the conference.

Our conference this summer will focus in large measure on the path to diversity, equity, and inclusion in our orchestras. Jessica Schmidt of Orchestrate Inclusion will present “Recognizing and Managing Implicit Bias in Orchestra Settings.” ICSOM Counsel Kevin Case will give a talk on SCOTUS and fellowships.

Case will also moderate a panel discussion on our tenure processes with Los Angeles Philharmonic delegate John Lofton (Local 47); Jessica Schmidt; MSO Director of Operations Terrell Pierce; and Leonard Slatkin, Detroit Symphony Orchestra music director laureate and St. Louis Symphony Orchestra conductor laureate. Caen Thomason-Redus, vice president of inclusion and learning for League of American Orchestras (LAO) will present LAO’s new initiative, Inclusive Stages: Racial Diversity in American Orchestras.

Additional speakers will include new AFM President Tino Gagliardi and LAO Board Chair Doug Hagerman. SSD Director Rochelle Skolnick will present “When Employers Behave Badly: Using NLRB Processes to Protect Musicians’ Rights.” For more information and the conference agenda can be viewed online at www.icsom.org/conferences.

While hotel reservations at the ICSOM rate closed on July 23, it is not too late to register to attend the 2023 ICSOM conference, either in person or virtually. AFM members are cordially invited to attend the open sessions listed on the conference agenda, but everyone must be registered in advance. See you in Milwaukee!

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