MEET OUR NEW MEMBERS! Say hello to Joenne Dumitrascu, a violinist and pianist who recently joined Local 802 because the union “gives a voice to professional musicians and ensures fair wages, safe workplaces and benefits. As a freelancer it’s very important to have union-provided protection.”

Joenne tells us that “music gives me the ability to connect to people from diverse backgrounds, both in the physical form of meeting audiences at concerts but also perhaps on a more psychological level.”

She adds, “I have a very diverse background, so being able to connect through music to people who are complete strangers is a beautiful thing. We live in a very divided world in 2024 and the need for human connection is more important than ever.”

Joenne has toured the world with top ensembles. In North America, she’s performed in the orchestra of the National Ballet of Canada and the Canadian Opera Company, Oakville Chamber Orchestra, Boston Civic Orchestra, and Boston Opera Collaborative where she also served as concertmaster.

“Although I trained as a classical musician when I was younger, I used my conservatory/college years to explore other parts of the industry, from cross-genre performances to pit orchestra for musical theatre and opera,” Joenne says. “I also studied music composition, conducting, and production, and did certificate work in film production while I was at Stony Brook University. During post-grad studies I branched off my coursework into ethnomusicology and international relations”

As a collaborative pianist, Joenne has worked as an audition coach for opera and musical theatre. Outside of classical music, Joenne has worked on several film and TV projects, including Atom Egoyan’s 2009 film “Chloe” and the TV show “Nikita.” As a music coach, Joenne was a chamber music coach in the undergraduate program at SUNY Stony Brook and is currently director of strings at Herald School of the Arts in Queens. She serves as general director of the New York International Music Competition for Young Artists held at Carnegie Hall.​

“My musical goal has always been to connect to audiences from all backgrounds and to bring people together under the sense of community that music provides,” says Joenne. “NYC has such vast cultural diversity that I can’t think of a better place where this could be achieved.”

Learn more about Joenne at www.joennedumitrascu.com.

Welcome to the union, Joenne! Musicians can join Local 802 at www.local802afm.org/join