Players' Conference: ICSOM

The International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM) was founded to further the interests of these musicians by providing tools to promote a more rewarding livelihood for orchestral performers and a democratic structure within the AFM to achieve it. ICSOM is a voluntary organization that has given a voice to musicians who in the past have been underrepresented.

In May, 1962 twelve major orchestras (including Cleveland, Boston, and Chicago) met in Chicago to discuss their common concerns and ways to address them. Their first step was to increase communication amongst orchestras by establishing an AFM-wide newsletter. ICSOM officially met for the first time under that name in September of that year to adopt a name and a mission statement. Their initial goals were the right of members to form committees and elect officers, the right to representation by legal counsel of their choice, the right to ratify their contracts, and the establishment of a strike fund.

Through cooperative effort, ICSOM has created or helped to create a number of tools to help its members, such as:

  • Senza Sordino newsletter (since 1962)

  • ICSOM wage charts and contract information, distributed by newsletter and CD-ROM (since 1962)

  • Emergency Relief Fund (since 1965)

  • Conductor Evaluation Program (since 1967, with over 400 conductors currently listed)

  • AFM Symphony Strike Fund (since 1970)

  • Directory of members (since 1972)

  • Standard for Ethical Audition Practices (developed 1984)

  • BBS, Internet Mailing List, and Website (since 1994)

ICSOM has long been the voice of orchestral musicians in AFM affairs. Since its inception it had called for an AFM symphony department. In 1968, it created its own by hiring I. Philip Sipser as legal counsel, and in 1982 saw the creation of the AFM Symphony Department (later to become Symphonic Services). ICSOM was the first to be granted player conference status by the AFM (in 1969), and by 1991 was granted representation on a Symphonic Services Steering Committee.

ICSOM's goals always included building a network of activists to further members' interests. In 1997, in league with other player conferences, ICSOM participated in an Investigative Task Force to explore ways to fix persistent problems within the AFM. They have also been at the forefront of job-health related issues.

ICSOM currently has 50 member orchestras, including our own Florida Philharmonic Orchestra.