Allegro
Currently Browsing: June, 2019
Proposing change at the AFM convention
President's Report
In less than a month, our Local 802 team will be attending the 101st convention of the AFM. This is the major gathering of the union, and it happens only once every three years. At the convention, delegates from all
Your union at work for you
Each month in Allegro, we report on new or renewed Local 802 contracts that protect musicians with guaranteed union wages and benefits. Financial Vice President Karen Fisher recently negotiated a successor collective bargaining agreement between Local 802 and New York
A welcome trend
Live music in Broadway plays
Broadway musicals are an important backbone of NYC theatre, but recently two Broadway plays have also featured the magic of live music, hiring Local 802 musicians under a union contract. Above, composer Philip Glass in the recording studio looks over
The Musicians’ Voice
Letters to the editor
ROCK AND ROLL WAS NOT THE ENEMY To the Editor: On May 6, Rolling Stone published an article – “There’s a Musician’s Union. Many Musicians Are Unaware – or Unable to Join” – by Elias Leight, which Local 802 later
Pride at Work
Fifty years after Stonewall, we’re still fighting for justice and equality
Fifty years ago this month, the modern LGBTQ rights movement was born on a hot and humid night in Greenwich Village in New York City. Tired of police harassment, a group of LGBTQ patrons at the Stonewall Inn decided
“Darling, I want my gay rights now!”
In the 50 years since Stonewall, LGBQT+ visibility has increased on TV, on the internet – and on Broadway
“Darling, I want my gay rights now!” This was the rallying cry by transgender activist Marsha P. Johnson, one of the Stonewall Riots leaders. Everyday life for members of the LGBTQ+ community in the 1960s was very different from today.
June is heating up for New York City musicians
Guest commentary
This article from the June 2019 issue of Local 802's Allegro magazine...
Union activism of the past can give us the inspiration we need today
Views from the board
On a recent trip to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, I paid a visit to Willard Martin, renowned harpsichord builder and genius of the physics of sound. Willard’s shop is in a re-purposed Russian Orthodox Church within view of the now shuttered, but
Preparing the rising generation
WOMEN’S THEATRICAL AND FILM UNION PANEL
As artists, one of our important missions is mentoring the next generation of women. I recently participated on a panel sponsored by the Open Stage Project at Repertory Company High School. Young women from several NYC high schools attended, as
ADVANCING INCLUSION
Creative ways musicians can take the lead
Over the past year, orchestras have mobilized in significant ways to create pathways into the field for musicians of color. Orchestras, working together with funders, educational institutions, and professional organizations, have forged strong alliances to solidify pathways towards greater diversity.
This is how the Trump NLRB is targeting unions
By encouraging union members to choose “financial core” status, the NLRB has taken a decidedly anti-union stance
Out of all of the oxymorons that exist in the legal world, the phrase “right to work” has to be one of the worst. Those of us who are labor activists know that “right to work” really means “right to
MUSICIANS OF BROADWAY
Photo op
There are almost 10,000 musical theater performances on Broadway every year. The 1,200 musicians working on these shows play a crucial role in bringing them to life – but audiences are sometimes unaware of their presence and their important contributions
As a musician, you’re a perfectionist. That’s bad! But here’s what you can do about it…
Winning on Stage
If you’re a perfectionist, you tend to set an extremely high and unreasonable standard for yourself. You expect to perform up to that standard all the time, in spite of conditions or circumstances. This goal can push you to try
Prevent injuries and practice safe!
Jazz Mentors XIX
All musicians are at risk for injuries – especially as we get older. But what are the best practices for stopping injuries before they happen? In mid-April, we welcomed clinician and occupational therapist Aviva L. Wolff, EdD, who specializes in
Who’s in the band?
Local 802 musicians perform for record-breaking Easter Bonnet Competition
Twice per year, Local 802 members donate their time and talents to enhance the bi-annual Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS fundraisers Gypsy of the Year (December) and Easter Bonnet Competition (April). These bi-annual performances are the culmination of six-week-long fundraising drives,
How can bodywork help me?
Improve endurance and stop masking performance pain!
A career as a musician comes with many rewards, but one of the physical challenges is the stress placed on the body by repetitive movement and having to hold your body and instrument in particular ways for long periods of
STARS IN THE ALLEY
Photo op
Live musical theatre sounds better outside! The Broadway League’s annual revue called “Stars in the Alley” took place again this year and included excerpts from many top shows. Local 802 members performed under a union contract, including Dominick Amendum (conductor);
Why I became an activist for digital rights – and how you can, too
Now’s the time to join the Artist Rights Caucus & the Indie Musicians Caucus
Like all of us, I just want to create great music, play with the best musicians, and live my life. But all of us know that the economic landscape for our work has changed dramatically during the digital paradigm shift
IN THE STUDIO: the making of a Broadway cast album
Photo op
Local 802 musicians from the Broadway show “Beetlejuice” recently recorded a cast album at the DiMenna Center. Allegro photographer Walter Karling was given access to the session, which was recorded under a union contract. MUSIC COORDINATOR: Howard Joines; MUSIC DIRECTOR:
‘Why we joined the union’
I joined the union to be a part of something greater than myself. I play the tuba in my own avant-garde jazz band, the Jesse Dulman Quartet. You can find my music on the RRGEMS label and on YouTube. Music
‘Why we joined the union’
I think unions are an extremely important part of American society, and when I learned about Local 802 and everything that it does for its members and the community, I wanted to be a part of it. My musical goal
‘Why we joined the union’
I joined Local 802 when I relocated to New York from Nashville, where I was a member of AFM Local 257. My musical goals in New York City are to perform with and learn from as many musicians as I
‘Why we joined the union’
After years of only dreaming about living my dream, I found myself in the position to commit 100 percent to music. To be the consummate performer and professional. And I could think of no better place to start than Local
‘Why we joined the union’
I joined Local 802 when I became a guitar sub for Robin Macatangay in “Hamilton.” My musical goal in NYC is to continue to meet great people, be a part of inspired projects, and to learn and grow from those
‘Why we joined the union’
I re-joined Local 802 when I began subbing on a Broadway show last year. My musical goals in NYC are the same as they’ve always been: to make great music with great people, regardless of the venue. I occasionally have
Executive Board Minutes
April 16, 2019 - April 30, 2019
Tuesday, April 16, 2019 Meeting called to order at 3:09 p.m. by President Krauthamer. Present: Financial Vice President Fisher, Recording Vice President Schwartz, Executive Board members Cohen, Davis, Frawley, Hoyt, Kainuma, Paisner, Shankin. Executive Board member Axelrod called in by
The Band Room
June 2019
I inherited my musical ear from my mother, a pianist and soprano who loved light classical music. She started teaching me songs while I was just learning to walk, and she always encouraged my interest in music even though she