Allegro
Currently Browsing: May, 2020
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Download a PDF of the May 2020 issue of Allegro
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WE HAVE MORE STRENGTH WHEN WE ACT TOGETHER
President's report
By Adam Krauthamer As we continue to adapt to our transformed lives and careers, I want to give you an update on how Local 802 is also adapting and working hard to best serve our members during this difficult time.
BEFORE…AND AFTER
Financial vice president's report
By Karen Fisher Throughout my childhood, it seemed that nearly every event in my family was defined as having happened “before Norman died” or “after Norman died.” Norman was a great-uncle I never met but whose life became somewhat
DOING WHAT IT TAKES
Local 802 officers and staff, wearing safety masks, mail out recording checks to members
Despite the fact that our building is shut down, several of our key staff in the Electronic Media Department – including Recording Vice President Andy Schwartz and some his team pictured below (Cathy Calabrese, Steve Singer, Bob Pawlo, Alex Blake
Songs of Support
Views from the board
By Janet Axelrod I don’t think I’m the only one who has had more offers for recording work in the past few weeks than in a long time. A particular offer was special. It came because I’m a third of
Working at home – while still collecting union benefits!
Thanks to Recording Vice President Andy Schwartz and Executive Board member Pete Donovan for this article. The Officers and Executive Board at Local 802 are continuing to look for ways to best help our members in this time of crisis.
VIRTUALLY TOGETHER
A multi-screen video guide
By Isaac Trapkus Making a multi-screen music video is a great way to reconnect with your colleagues and re-engage your audience. By sharing the process we used to create our “Bolero” video (see screen shot above), which featured 80 musicians
EVEN DURING A CRISIS, IT’S IMPORTANT TO COUNT EVERY NEW YORKER!
Take the census now!
Even as the coronavirus crisis interrupts our lives in unimaginable ways, we can help each other by focusing on a positive future. The 2020 U.S. Census – which is happening right now – can affect future arts funding in a
STAYING CONNECTED
Musicians raise our spirits during quarantine
By Katherine Cherbas Shortly after New York City’s concert halls and theatres were shut down in March, videos started appearing in my Facebook feed featuring quarantined musicians playing together from afar. Like many of you, I’ve always cherished the kaleidoscope
REMOTE TEACHING
How a public school music teacher figured it out…and how you can too!
By Dr. Brian Doherty Many teachers use the old adage “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail” regarding the degree of success in their instruction as it relates to lesson planning. While I agree that good teachers must
SHARING THE LOVE
#SaintsForSaints
By Matt Hong My wife, Diana Velazquez, is a charge nurse in the ER at Mt. Sinai Morningside. The FDNY lined up every night on their block to blow their sirens and applaud the healthcare workers during their shift changes
THE SPIRITUAL DIMENSIONS OF LIFE UNDER QUARANTINE
Views from the board
By Lynne Cohen In late summer 1986, my family was moving to Europe. I had given up a full-time orchestra job in South Florida, shipped the bare necessities ahead, and sold the rest. For the summer, I was playing at
LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE QUARANTINE
Views from the board
By Caryl Paisner This is not my first quarantine. In 1997, when just 20 weeks pregnant with my twins (now 22 and healthy), I went into labor. After a week in the hospital to stop the process and to stabilize
The Quarantined Woodwind Ensemble
Making lemonade out of coronavirus
By Emily Pecoraro I think we can all agree that times are pretty strange right now. In our confinement, the entire music community has faced a unique circumstance in which we are all trying to figure out new ways of
‘Everything I learned about labor history I learned from songs’
Labor History Month
By Steve Jones Arlo Guthrie tells us, “Everything I learned about labor history I learned from songs.” Musician-activists such as Arlo, his father Woody, Pete Seeger and Ysaye Barnwell brought the power of music to the civil rights and labor
AMAZING GRACE
Stamford Symphony musicians and soloists record a performance from their homes dedicated to Fairfield County healthcare workers
By Peter Weitzner “No man is an island,” wrote the poet John Donne. Really? I’m not so sure about that. After the Stamford Symphony was forced to cancel the rest of its public performing season, we found ourselves struggling to
HOW THE LAW SEES THE CORONAVIRUS AS AN “ACT OF GOD”
Legal corner
By Harvey Mars, Esq. The coronavirus pandemic put the arts community in uncharted territory. However, the law actually anticipated something like this. Many Local 802 contracts contain a provision called “force majeure” or “Act of God.” While force majeure clauses
HELP FOR MUSICIANS DURING THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS
HELP FOR MUSICIANS DURING THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS 1. Start at the Local 802 resource center at www.local802afm.org/resource-center 2. Go to the Local 802 Musicians Emergency Relief Fund at https://erf.local802afm.org 3. Looking for counseling? Help with substance abuse? Someone to talk
Dealing with the chaos
Winning on stage
By Don Greene Although I currently reside in Los Angeles, I am a real New Yorker at heart. I lived in Queens when I was young, went to high school in Brooklyn, practiced diving in the Bronx, and lived in
Gene Perla’s Brighter Day
Feature profile
By Todd Bryant Weeks Gene Perla walks into his study, tall, lanky and youthful and sits down at his computer and waves to me… at the other end of our virtual space. He looks up, sees I’m there and hits
‘Why we joined the union’
Chris Sax
I joined Local 802 to develop my career in solidarity with other professional NYC artists. The perks of being a member of the union are great! I grew up just outside of Niagara Falls and got my first union gig
‘Why we joined the union’
Matt Pavolka
I re-joined Local 802 when I got some Broadway work last year. I’ve been in NYC for 25 years and still love the music scene here. I want to continue being a part of it and doing what I’m doing.
‘Why we joined the union’
Reggie Pittman
I joined Local 802 when I moved to Brooklyn after previously being a member of AFM Local 4 (Cleveland). I’m a trumpeter, flugelhornist, bandleader and producer. The union serves a multitude of purposes; some of them include news sources (including
‘Why we joined the union’
Ada Westfall
I re-joined Local 802 because…well, technically, I’m not sure that I left the union. But I’m a trans woman and my entire name changed along with my gender, so they had to issue me a new union card number! But
‘Why we joined the union’
Will Eversden
I joined Local 802 because I’m a firm believer in unions and the role they play in sustaining community. More than ever, it’s important to stand up for what we believe in, fight for what’s right, and preserve our livelihood
‘Why we joined the union’
Douglas Baldwin
I re-joined Local 802 because the better the pay and the better the working conditions, the more likely it’s a Local 802 gig! Whenever I work in New York City, I want to be sure that rehearsals will be timed
Executive Board Minutes
March 10, 2020 - April 1, 2020
Tuesday, March 10, 2020 Meeting called to order at 11:18 am by Recording Vice President Schwartz. Present: Executive Board members Axelrod, Davis, Hoyt, Kainuma, Paisner, Shankin. President Krauthamer absent on union business. Minutes of March 3, 2020 reviewed. Executive Board
A call for BASIC FAIRNESS IN THE DIGITAL MARKETPLACE
Digital petition
The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed many weaknesses in our social safety net and labor laws. The predicament of musical artists — the original gig workers — is particularly poignant. With live performance shut down, the vast majority of the music
THE BAND ROOM
May 2020
By Bill Crow With everyone forced to stay home and all our gigs canceled, the internet has become more and more a place for people to stay connected. Many musicians are posting live performances. I’ve watched quite a few of