Author - Julie Ayer

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An Endearing Legacy
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The Birth of ICSOM: A Labor Revolution
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Segregated Musician Union Locals, 1941-1974

An Endearing Legacy

Feb 04 2010
Browse archives for February 04, 2010
Julie Ayer
Julie Ayer

Julie Ayer is Assistant Principal second violinist with the Minnesota Orchestra. She was a member of the Houston Symphony for a brief period before coming to Minneapolis. She is a founding member of the Hill House Chamber Players, based in St. Paul, now in its 20th season.

In 1999 she arranged a three-month exchange with retired Sydney Symphony principal second violinist Gary Andrews. She has organized numerous Twin Cities benefit concerts, most notably Symphony for Survival in 1984, which featured members of the Minnesota and St. Paul Chamber Orchestras and other Twin Cities musicians. Speaker Garrison Keiller, conductor Neville Marriner and pianist Emanuel Ax also participated. Ms Ayer was active in the Minnesota Orchestra Adopt-A-School program for many years. She performed with the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra in the summer of 2000, in numerous Sommerfest chamber concerts, and is a former ICSOM representative.

In June of 2005 she and pianist Edie Orloff presented their second annual concert in San Clemente, California at the Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens.

Her immediate family includes her husband, Carl Nashan, retired violinist of 34 years with the Minnesota Orchestra, stepchildren Erica and Jeffrey Nashan, and five grandchildren, Andrew, Eolyne and Rosie Arnold, Keegan and Cole Nashan.

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In 2009 the Spokane Symphony created an endowed chair in memory of two members of their violin section: mother/daughter Evelyn Ayer and Jane Ayer Blegen. Julie Ayer, violinist with the Minnesota Orchestra, has written a loving tribute to her mother and sister, describing their involvement with the orchestra and how the endowed chair came to be. She also gives us an overview of the history of women in North American symphony orchestras.

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The Birth of ICSOM: A Labor Revolution

Sep 17 2007
Browse archives for September 17, 2007
Julie Ayer
Julie Ayer

Julie Ayer is Assistant Principal second violinist with the Minnesota Orchestra. She was a member of the Houston Symphony for a brief period before coming to Minneapolis. She is a founding member of the Hill House Chamber Players, based in St. Paul, now in its 20th season.

In 1999 she arranged a three-month exchange with retired Sydney Symphony principal second violinist Gary Andrews. She has organized numerous Twin Cities benefit concerts, most notably Symphony for Survival in 1984, which featured members of the Minnesota and St. Paul Chamber Orchestras and other Twin Cities musicians. Speaker Garrison Keiller, conductor Neville Marriner and pianist Emanuel Ax also participated. Ms Ayer was active in the Minnesota Orchestra Adopt-A-School program for many years. She performed with the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra in the summer of 2000, in numerous Sommerfest chamber concerts, and is a former ICSOM representative.

In June of 2005 she and pianist Edie Orloff presented their second annual concert in San Clemente, California at the Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens.

Her immediate family includes her husband, Carl Nashan, retired violinist of 34 years with the Minnesota Orchestra, stepchildren Erica and Jeffrey Nashan, and five grandchildren, Andrew, Eolyne and Rosie Arnold, Keegan and Cole Nashan.

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ruth budd

Well, Julie, I certainly enjoyed reading these excerpts from your book Good work! As I am now in my 91st…

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As the controversy rages in the US regarding the Patriot Act and the extent to which the government can intervene in ordinary citizen’s lives in the name of “homeland security,” it is interesting to look back at the role symphony musicians played in safeguarding (or not) civil liberties in the midst of the McCarthy era HUAC (House UnAmerican Activities Committee)hearings.

Julie Ayer, violinist with the Minnesota Orchestra, has excerpted another chapter from her book, More Than Meets the Ear: How Symphony Musicians Made Labor History that details the birth of ICSOM and the role that symphony musicians, ICSOM and the AFM played during the Communist witchhunt of the 1950s.

Once again, I highly recommend Julie’s book in its entirety. Reading it will make you proud of the impact musicians have had on the labor movement and in improving conditions in their own working lives.

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Segregated Musician Union Locals, 1941-1974

Feb 12 2007
Browse archives for February 12, 2007
Julie Ayer
Julie Ayer

Julie Ayer is Assistant Principal second violinist with the Minnesota Orchestra. She was a member of the Houston Symphony for a brief period before coming to Minneapolis. She is a founding member of the Hill House Chamber Players, based in St. Paul, now in its 20th season.

In 1999 she arranged a three-month exchange with retired Sydney Symphony principal second violinist Gary Andrews. She has organized numerous Twin Cities benefit concerts, most notably Symphony for Survival in 1984, which featured members of the Minnesota and St. Paul Chamber Orchestras and other Twin Cities musicians. Speaker Garrison Keiller, conductor Neville Marriner and pianist Emanuel Ax also participated. Ms Ayer was active in the Minnesota Orchestra Adopt-A-School program for many years. She performed with the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra in the summer of 2000, in numerous Sommerfest chamber concerts, and is a former ICSOM representative.

In June of 2005 she and pianist Edie Orloff presented their second annual concert in San Clemente, California at the Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens.

Her immediate family includes her husband, Carl Nashan, retired violinist of 34 years with the Minnesota Orchestra, stepchildren Erica and Jeffrey Nashan, and five grandchildren, Andrew, Eolyne and Rosie Arnold, Keegan and Cole Nashan.

All posts from Julie Ayer
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The jazz memories of singer Don Gardner | Auction Finds

[…] African American musicians started their own as AFM locals – first in Pittsburgh in 1897 and Chicago in 1902.…

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Have you ever wondered why certain AFM locals ended up with hyphenated numbers? I belong to Hartford CT Local 400 and New Haven CT Local 234-486. The second number for the New Haven local is that of the separate black local that was established in New Haven in the early part of the 20th century.

Julie Ayer, violinist with the Minnesota Orchestra, has excerpted a chapter from her fascinating book, “More Than Meets the Ear: How Symphony Musicians Made Labor History” that explains in detail the story of these AFM segregated black locals and how they ultimately were merged with their white counterparts. This chapter also chronicles the difficulties African-American classical musicians had, not only in winning auditions but also in performing their duties as members of the orchestra.

I highly recommend not only this chapter but Julie’s book in its entirety. Reading it will make you proud of the impact musicians have had on the labor movement and in improving conditions in their own working lives.

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