Local 802 member Darryl Archibald conducting a session with the Broadway Musicians Equity Partnership (photo courtesy BMEP)

Broadway Musicians Equity Partnership (BMEP) is thrilled to announce the second installment of its innovative program and is currently recruiting current Broadway chairholders to serve as partners. BMEP aims to provide access and learning opportunities for musicians who have historically been underrepresented in Broadway orchestras and to help them learn about playing in the industry.

These musicians, whom BMEP calls visiting professionals, are matched with current Broadway chairholders of shows for a personalized, hands-on professional development experience over several months.

The second cycle of BMEP is planned to run from February 2025 to May 2025, but BMEP is seeking chairholders to sign up now in preparation for the upcoming cohort.

Key features of the BMEP program include:

• One-on-one partnership: Visiting professionals will get a chance to get up-close learning with their chairholder partner and by shadowing in a Broadway orchestra pit.
• Facilitated Workshops: Visiting professionals will get access to in-person workshops with guest speakers ranging from Broadway music directors, contractors, and chair holders. These workshops can give a greater context to the working environment on Broadway and also offer critical networking opportunities.
• Final Project: A hands-on playing experience between Broadway chairholders and visiting professional musicians to demonstrate their playing skills after learning selections from various Broadway scores. (Broadway chairholders and visiting professionals are both compensated under a Local 802 union contract.)

After a pilot run from September to December 2023, two of BMEP’s 19 visiting professional participants earned a subbing opportunity on Broadway. BMEP seeks to improve on that success with its second cohort with an expanded program that will aim to provide more professional development opportunities.

“The typical Broadway orchestra does not resemble our diverse city at large,” said Alvin Hough, Jr., chair of the BMEP committee. “We set out to create a program that would respectfully and responsibly open doors to the Broadway scene for multiple communities that have been historically underrepresented and excluded, including people of color, people with disabilities, and transgender or nonbinary individuals.”

Hough added, “The BMEP committee is excited to build on 2023’s success by providing more musicians from underrepresented groups an opportunity to play in a situation that mimics a Broadway orchestra rehearsal. Every musician in a Broadway pit got their start thanks to someone who gave them a chance and gave them a hand to work their way up. This program aims to provide that same opportunity to talented musicians who might not otherwise have a chance. This second cohort will aim to provide more structured detail on how often visiting professionals should shadow their chairholder at their shows while focusing on specific techniques that facilitate sight-reading a part for the final project.”

Support from groups like Local 802’s DECIBAL Collective, which counts BMEP as one of its members, is paramount in expanding this initiative. BMEP is funded by a grant from the New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. BMEP is fiscally sponsored by Arts Ignite and also supported by Local 802 and the Broadway League. The project was developed with the specific goal of fostering collaboration, growth, inclusion, and equity within the Broadway community.

“We are proud to support the Broadway Musicians Equity Partnership’s innovative program, which aims to ensure the pits and orchestras of NYC’s theatres and performance spaces represent the diversity of the city itself,” said MOME Commissioner Pat Swinney Kaufman. “Our office, and this entire administration is committed to supporting NYC’s workers, and this program will open doors for traditionally excluded musicians to share their gifts and talents with the world.”

The program is open to all professional musicians in the New York City area who come from groups that have been historically underrepresented in Broadway orchestras, including people of color, people with disabilities, nonbinary and transgender individuals, and others.

To learn more about BMEP or if you’re interested in being a chairholder for our second cohort, please visit www.broadwaymusiciansep.org.