Bruce Ridge

Who is 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.

In 2008, Ridge was invited by the Federation International des Musiciens to address the first International Orchestra Conference in Berlin, Germany. In March 2009, he was invited to testify before the United States Congress during a hearing on the Economic and Employment Impact of the Arts and Music Industry. Ridge's speeches and articles have been published in numerous countries, and he has been quoted in newspapers across the United States, as well as in the American Foreign Press.

As chairman of ICSOM, Ridge has been an international leader on issues affecting arts organizations and has met with countless orchestras across America, from San Juan to Honolulu. He has served as a faculty member for many sessions of the League of American Orchestras "Orchestra Leadership Academy" as well as on the faculty for the League's music director search seminars. He has appeared as a guest speaker on the history of symphony orchestras in America at The Colburn School of Music in Los Angeles and Roosevelt University in Chicago.