Sherrod Brown, who recently launched his candidacy for the U.S. Senate, is scheduled to make one of his first campaign appearances in Greater Cleveland on Saturday.
Brown is expected to speak at the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM), who are meeting this week at the Crowne Plaza Cleveland at Playhouse Square.
For a politician who has built his career on being a voice for blue-collar and other working people, addressing an audience of classical musicians may seem a bit odd. It isn’t, if you consider that ICSOM members belong to the American Federation of Musicians (AFM). The union has a multiemployer pension plan. So do many blue-collar workers, such as those in construction, who routinely work for more than one employer. Many unions with multiemployer pension plans lobbied for years to get the federal government to help shore up the many plans that were underfunded.
“The musicians really honor Sherrod Brown, coast to coast, because the AFM sees him as the principal character in protecting our pensions. That’s why I like to say, ‘Sherrod Brown saved my pension.’”
Leonard DiCosimo, president of the Cleveland Federation of Musicians, AFM Local 4
Brown, who served in the Senate from 2007 until losing to Republican Bernie Moreno last November, had long supported helping these pension funds. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) pandemic stimulus fund provided significant relief for financially troubled multiemployer pension plans.
“The musicians really honor Sherrod Brown, coast to coast, because the AFM sees him as the principal character in protecting our pensions,” said Leonard DiCosimo, president of the Cleveland Federation of Musicians, AFM Local 4. “That’s why I like to say, ‘Sherrod Brown saved my pension.’”
DiCosimo said the invitation was issued long before Brown announced several days ago that he would run against Republican Sen. Jon Husted in the November 2026 election. This year’s conference, co-hosted by The Cleveland Orchestra, includes delegates from ICSOM’s 51 member orchestras and AFM officers and staff.
Brown was also scheduled to have appeared at the Musicians Against Dictators (MAD) rally, but his campaign told Signal Cleveland that “Sherrod’s schedule changed for that day.” The MAD rally will take place at noon on Saturday at Perk Plaza, 1717 E. 12th St. A symphony orchestra, including members of the Cleveland Orchestra, will play. Songwriter Alex Bevan will lead a sing-a-long.