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.
October 1, 2024
This year’s International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM) Conference, hosted by the musicians of the Oregon Symphony and Local 99 (Portland, OR), was held at the historic Benson Portland Hotel, August 21-24. Wednesday morning began with the traditional new delegate breakfast. It included a number of additional alternate delegates and orchestra members who […]
October 1, 2024
by Matt Heller, OCSM Secretary and Member of Local 547 (Calgary, AB) Few saw it coming, and those who did saw no way around it: as of 2024, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony (KWS) would cease to exist. Founded in 1945, KWS had been a pillar of the arts community in a thriving region known as a tech […]
September 1, 2024
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Labor Studies Center sponsored a research conference over two and a half days, August 2-4. There were over 100 attendees, and another 200 on a waitlist. I felt privileged to have been accepted into the program. Attendees included professional researchers, organizers, students, union leaders, worker center and other […]
August 1, 2024
by Steve Wade, ROPA President and member of Local 400 (Hartford-New Haven, CT) As of this writing, preparation continues for the 40th anniversary conference of the Regional Orchestra Players’ Association (ROPA), July 29-August 1, hosted by Local 6 (San Francisco, CA). Our final schedule is still evolving, but I can tell you about many of […]
August 1, 2024
by Robert Fraser, OCSM President and member of Local 247 (Victoria, BC) en français : L’OMOSC se réunit en appui aux musiciens du KWS The 49th Annual Organization of Canadian Symphony Musicians (OCSM) Conference will be held August 12-15, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Kitchener, Ontario. We chose Kitchener as our conference site as soon […]
April 1, 2024
by Steve Wade, ROPA President and Member Local 400 (Hartford-New Haven, CT) In an article recently published in The Leading Tone, I wrote about a documentary called The Freeway Philharmonic, made in 2008 by Tal Skloot and Steven Baigel and broadcast on KQED in San Francisco. The film is an hour long, and modest in […]
April 1, 2024
by Robert Fraser, OCSM President and Member Local 247 (Victoria, BC) I write this column twice per year, in April and July. In addition to this, the Organization of Canadian Symphony Musicians (OCSM) secretary reports on our conference in the October issue. The April column usually comes right after our delegates share mid-season reports, so […]
November 1, 2023
AFM Local 8 (Milwaukee, WI) and the new Theatre Musicians Association (TMA) Wisconsin regional chapter hosted the 28th Annual TMA Conference in Milwaukee. Notable as the first in-person conference since 2019, this August’s conference was also the best attended conference in TMA’s history. Delegates from TMA chapters around the country were joined by the AFM President Tino […]
October 1, 2023
by Steve Wade, ROPA President and member of Local 400 (Hartford-New Haven, CT) The Regional Orchestra Players Association (ROPA) held its 40th conference in Atlanta, July 25-27. By all accounts the event was excellent. Highlights included the first appearance at a conference by then AFM International President-elect Tino Gagliardi and a keynote address by Dr. […]
October 1, 2023
by Laura Ross, ICSOM Secretary, Nashville Symphony, member of Local 257 (Nashville, TN) The musicians of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (MSO) and the Milwaukee Musicians’ Association (AFM Local 8) hosted this year’s International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM) conference at the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee, August 23-26. A volunteer event on Tuesday afternoon included […]