Now is the right time to become an American Federation of Musicians member. From ragtime to rap, from the early phonograph to today's digital recordings, the AFM has been there for its members. And now there are more benefits available to AFM members than ever before, including a multi-million dollar pension fund, excellent contract protection, instrument and travelers insurance, work referral programs and access to licensed booking agents to keep you working.

As an AFM member, you are part of a membership of more than 80,000 musicians. Experience has proven that collective activity on behalf of individuals with similar interests is the most effective way to achieve a goal. The AFM can negotiate agreements and administer contracts, procure valuable benefits and achieve legislative goals. A single musician has no such power.

The AFM has a proud history of managing change rather than being victimized by it. We find strength in adversity, and when the going gets tough, we get creative - all on your behalf.

Like the industry, the AFM is also changing and evolving, and its policies and programs will move in new directions dictated by its members. As a member, you will determine these directions through your interest and involvement. Your membership card will be your key to participation in governing your union, keeping it responsive to your needs and enabling it to serve you better. To become a member now, visit www.afm.org/join.

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Orchestra News

New York Philharmonic’s Geffen Hall Renovations to Begin in 2022

After years of delays, plans are set to begin renovations of the New York Philharmonic’s David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center in 2022. The renovation project will cost $550 million and is anticipated to be completed March 2024. There has been $360 million already raised. Plans for the concert hall include acoustical improvements and more […]


Massachusetts Locals Join Forces to Organize New Bedford Symphony Orchestra

The Boston Musicians Association (BMA), Local 9-535, and the Professional Musicians of the South Coast, Local 216 (Fall River, MA), have joined together to organize the New Bedford Symphony (Yaniv Dinur, music director), founded in 1915, as an AFM orchestra. In December 2019, musicians of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra voted overwhelmingly in an NLRB […]


Regina Symphony Orchestra Ratifies Three-Year Contract

In November, musicians and management of the Regina Symphony Orchestra (RSO) ratified a new CBA that is retroactive to July 1, 2019 and runs through June 30, Over the course of the contract, base per-service pay increases 4.5% in the current season, 5.2% in the 2020/21 season, and 4.9% in 2021/22. In addition, certain rules […]


Baltimore Symphony Musicians Back on the Stage

On September 23, the Baltimore Symphony Musicians, members of Local 40-543 (Baltimore, MD), returned to the concert hall after a 14-week lockout. We made a very difficult decision to accept the terms of a one-year agreement that maintains our annual salary while working only 40 weeks out of the remaining 50 weeks during the 2019-20 […]


Virginia Symphony Offers First Sensory-Friendly Concert

The Virginia Symphony Orchestra presented its first sensory-friendly concert in November, designed for audience members on the autism spectrum.


North Carolina Symphony Begins Three-Year Music Education Residency

Building on the success of its recently completed three-year music education residency in North Carolina’s Sampson County, the North Carolina Symphony (NCS) began a new three-year residency in nearby Jones County in November.


St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra Celebrates 50 Years

In 2020, the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra (SLSYO) will celebrate a half-century of educating and mentoring student musicians from the greater St. Louis area.


Locals 9-535 and 216 Organize Atlantic Symphony Orchestra

The Boston Musicians’ Association (BMA), Local 9-535, and the Professional Musicians of the South Coast, Local 216 (Fall River, MA), have joined together to organize the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra as an AFM orchestra.


Cleveland Orchestra Achieves Balanced Budget

For the first time since 2015, the Cleveland Orchestra ended its 2019 fiscal year in the black, with a surplus of $24,000 on its $53 million budget.


Santa Rosa Symphony Ratifies New Contract

The Santa Rosa Symphony in California, represented by Local 6 (San Francisco, CA), has ratified a new five-year collective bargaining agreement.








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