The International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSO

is a Players' Conference of the

American Federation of Musicians The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM/AFofM) is a 501(c)(5) trade union, labor union representing professional instrumental musicians in the United States and Canada. The AFM, which has its headquarters in N ...

(AF

In 1962, members of US and Canadian orchestras began to meet and discuss ways they could communicate with each other, drafted

bylaws A by-law (bye-law, by(e)law, by(e) law), is a set of rules or law established by an organization or community so as to regulate itself, as allowed or provided for by some higher authority. The higher authority, generally a legislature or some other ...

, 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 (RM

the Regional Orchestra Players' Association (ROP

and the Theatre Musicians Association (TM

ICSOM's Canadian members left ICSOM when the Organization of Canadian Symphony Musicians (OCSM/OMOS

was formed in 1975. 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 Company) and ''The First Fifty Years of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians'' by Tom Hal

ICSOM began tabulating Conductor (music), conductor evaluations in 1967 and has nearly 600 different conductors in the database. An online Conductor Evaluation Program for ICSOM musicians to evaluate its conductors was launched in January 2018

In March 2009, then ICSOM chairman Bruce Ridge appeared before United States 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 YouTub

ICSOM is also involved in supporting minority-group instrumentalists and currently contributes prize money to winners of the Sphinx Competition

In August 2012, ICSOM celebrated its 50th anniversary in Chicago. A feature in the

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

highlighted ICSOM's achievements and future plans

Currently ICSOM's membershi

includes nearly 4000 musicians of the top 51 orchestras in the USA and Puerto Rico. Each year delegates from ICSOM's member orchestras, along with AFM officers, meet to discuss current business and contracts. ICSOM is a resource for symphonic musicians, with a purpose of promoting, communicating, enriching, supporting, and celebrating the arts. Current officers of ICSOM are

*Keith Carrick, chairperson (

Utah Symphony The Utah Symphony is an American orchestra based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The orchestra's principal venue is Abravanel Hall. In addition to its Salt Lake City subscription concerts, the orchestra travels around the Intermountain West serving ...

br>
*Paul Austin, president (

Grand Rapids Symphony The Grand Rapids Symphony is a professional orchestra located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1930, the Symphony celebrated its 90th anniversary season in 2019-20. In 2006, its recording ''Invention and Alchemy'' was nominated for Be ...

br>
*Laura Ross, secretary (

Nashville Symphony Orchestra The Nashville Symphony is an American symphony orchestra, based in Nashville, Tennessee. The orchestra is resident at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. History In 1920, prior to the 1946 founding of the Nashville Symphony, a group of amateur an ...

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*Peter de Boor, treasurer ( Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestrabr>
*Mike Muszynski, editor ''Senza Sordino'' (

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) is a major American orchestra based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The largest performing arts organization in Indiana, the orchestra was founded in 1930 and is based at the Hilbert Circle Theatre in downtown ...

*Nicole Jordan, member-at-large (

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription concerts, n ...

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*Jessica Phillips, member-at-large (

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred to colloquially as the Met, the company i ...

*Rob Schumitzsky, member-at-large (

Pacific Symphony The Pacific Symphony is a symphony orchestra based in Orange County, California. The orchestra performs at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall as a part of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California. From 1987 to 2016 ...

*Kimberly Tichenor, member-at-large (

Louisville Orchestra The Louisville Orchestra is the primary orchestra in Louisville, Kentucky. It was founded in 1937 by Robert Whitney (1904–1986). The Louisville Orchestra employs salaried musicians, and offers a wide variety of concert series to the communit ...

*General Counsel: Kevin Cas

References

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...

feature on 2010 ICSOM Conferenc

*

feature on the 50th anniversary of ICSO

*

Kansas City Star ''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and a ...

feature on the 2013 ICSOM conferenc

{{authority control American orchestras American Federation of Musicians