Allegro
Currently Browsing: June, 2014
Met Opera Campaign Heats Up
President's Report
As Allegro goes to press, Local 802 and the musicians of the Metropolitan Opera are beginning preparations to ramp up the campaign for a new contract. This is going to be a contentious negotiation. Local 802 has never received a
Staying On Top of Our Campaigns
President's Report
As spring turns into summer, let me give an update of Local 802 news and events. We continue to keep our focus on the musicians of the Metropolitan Opera as negotiations promise to be a challenge. At the final concert
Dancing to Live Music Together
Financial Vice President's Report
Paul Taylor’s new commitment to live music came with support and encouragement from Local 802. Is this a new model we can strive for? It’s time to celebrate live music. As President Tino Gagliardi recently reported in the President’s Report,
Looking for Gigs?
We are very excited to announce a new company that has been launched for the purpose of booking union bands and musicians for weddings, corporate parties, bar mitzvahs and other events. The company, First Choice Musicians, features a state-of the-art
The Amazing Urbie Green
Urbie Green is the trombonist’s trombonist. A member of Local 802 since 1954, he is one of the true greats of jazz, among the elite of the world’s players. No one plays a smoother, warmer, more mellow trombone. He was
The Musicians’ Voice
The Musicians’ Voice is an open forum for discussion about the state of union affairs. The letters here do not necessarily express the views of Local 802. E-mail letters to Allegro@Local802afm.org or write to Allegro, Local 802, 322 West 48th
A visit to the Met music library
There is always more going on at the Metropolitan Opera House than meets the eye: wig fittings, dance rehearsals, orchestral rehearsals. One particularly busy corner of the Met can be found by descending two stories below the stage level to
The Joy of Teaching Just Got Better
Local 802 is now an approved vendor with the New York City public school system and is authorized to negotiate contracts It was a cold day in January when I received a call from Local 802 member Ayodele Maakheru. He
Sharing the Gift: Teaching Music in the Schools
That’s it really like to be a teaching artist in the New York City public schools? Ayodele Maakheru has been doing it for decades. A member of Local 802 since 1979, Mr. Maakheru plays guitar, banjo, bass, mandolin, ukulele, harmonica
Music in His Blood
A conversation with Bobby Porcelli
Bobby Porcelli has paid his dues. Described by his sometime bandleader, the drummer T.S. Monk, as “the most underrated alto player of all time” and a “veritable encyclopedia of jazz discography, especially the bebop era,” Porcelli has worked with everyone
One Big Tent
New York City's labor movement comes together
United, we prosper. The New York City labor movement has never been as solid as it is today, but that hasn’t always been the case. As we celebrate the election of a new pro-labor mayor, it’s a good time to
Don’t give up your rights
Legal Corner
Harvey Mars is counsel to Local 802. Legal questions from members are welcome. E-mail them to HsmLaborLaw@HarveyMarsAttorney.com. Harvey Mars’s previous articles in this series are archived at www.HarveyMarsAttorney.com. (Click on “Publications & Articles” from the top menu.) Nothing here or
The Gentleman Musician: Remembering Joe Wilder
Reminiscences
This article from the June 2014 issue of Allegro magazine...
Abe (Glenn) Osser: A Tremendous Enthusiasm For Life
Abe (“Glenn”) Osser, 99, a member of Local 802 since 1936, died on April 29. In tribute, we’d like to reprint below an edited version of an article we first published about Mr. Osser in the June 2001 issue of
Why we joined the union
I was a Local 802 member for over 35 years. Work for me dried up and I allowed my membership to lapse. But recently I was at a political rally and realized that one of the few remaining positive political
Executive Board Minutes
March 25, 2014 - April 22, 2014
The Executive Board did not meet on April 8, 2014. TUESDAY, MARCH 25, 2014 Meeting called to order at 11:07 a.m. by Financial Vice President Olcott. Present: Olcott, Recording Vice President O’Connor, Executive Board members Branford, Burridge, Cranshaw, Cutler, Dougherty,
Going beyond ‘tolerance’
How to work with people you don't really like!
The office of the Musicians’ Assistance Program is your one-stop shop for musicians’ health. We offer counseling – both one-on-one and in groups – as well as information on all kinds of social services, including health insurance, housing, food stamps