New Music Ensemble ICE Ditches Offensive Name for ISIS
New York. November 27, 2020.
Progress! After months of being pressured by immigration activists, the International Contemporary Ensemble has finally changed its name so that its acronym no longer matches Immigration & Customs Enforcement, an agency infamous for causing pain and terror to our communities in the US.
This new music organization has been at the forefront of innovation. Their new name reflects their values and the need to push boundaries. Meet the International Society of Instrumental Sound or ISIS for short.
The international ensemble, based exclusively in New York, recognized that the words “contemporary” and “ensemble” were outdated, and wanted to shift their branding away from anything that sounds like music. All with the goal of encouraging diversity.
“We have heard your calls to be more inclusive in our naming,” said a spokesperson for ISIS on Twitter “while we’ve given out calls for scores, you’ve given us a different call. A call for unity, and compassion.”
The announcement was made online via Twitter earlier today.
“Effective today, we will no longer be called ICE. Instead, we are the International Society for Instrumental Sound. Our website has also changed from iceorg.org to isis.society. Because we at ISIS value a diverse, inclusive, and loving community above all else.
We are #proudtobeisis”
Many of the biggest names in Contemporary Music were thrilled by this development. The hashtag #proudtobeisis has since gone viral, which, for some reason, has lead to increased reports against people’s accounts.
I guess some people just can’t handle change.
EDIT: We’ve since reached out to activists who called for the name change, who’s response was nothing more than an aggressive bashing of their own heads against a wall.
