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.
Drawing on the piano music of Frédéric Chopin, flutist Robert Stallman has created a unique compilation of 20 waltzes and nocturnes arranged for flute and piano. These pieces for enjoyment, inspiration, study, and performance, invite flutists to enter Chopin’s poetic and expressive world.
The Romantic Flutist Chopin: 10 Waltzes and 10 Nocturnes for Flute and Piano, arranged and edited by Robert Stallman, Carl Fischer,
www.carlfischer.com.
Stanley Drucker of Local 802 (New York City), who retired from the New York Philharmonic in 2009, is recognized by Guinness World Records for the longest career as a clarinetist. For 61 years, he has performed and collaborated with virtually every major conductor and concert artist of his time. In this biography, written by fellow clarinetist and Local 802 member Mitchell Estrin, his fascinating story is told for the first time.
Stanley Drucker: Clarinet Master, by Mitchell Estrin, Carl Fischer, www.carlfischer.com.
Commissioned by the Trustees of the Saint-Gaudens Memorial and written in celebration of the Cornish Colony and Augustus Saint-Gaudens, the composition … into the blue captures elements of the landscape, artwork, and friendships memorialized at the National Historic site. Its three main sections—“between the daylight and your dreams,” “imagined and immortal forms,” and “playful badinage”—are connected by cello solos and performed as one continuous movement.
… into the blue for String Quartet, by Stephen Lias, Alias Press,
www.presser.com.
This book will improve your ability to transcribe music and help you make the connection between the music you hear and what it looks like on the page through a step-by-step approach. It comes with two CDs and a variety of listening, singing, playing, reading, and composing activities designed to prepare you to write down musical ideas and create transcripts. You will be working with more than 300 example songs from almost every genre.
Reading, Writing, and Rhythmetic: the ABCs of Music Transcription,
by Roberta Radley, Sher Music Company, www.shermusic.com
This unique orchestration is a bold addition to the cello repertoire. Martin Bresnick’s Parisot for Twelve Cellos is a musical portrait of Bresnick’s admired colleague Aldo Parisot of Local 400 (Hartford-New Haven, CT). Divided into three movements to be performed without pause, “Paradox,” “Parallels,” and “Paragon,” represent attributes of the great cellist and teacher and reflect on Bresnick and Parisot’s shared musical path.
Martin Bresnick: Parisot for Twelve Cellos, by Martin Bresnick, Carl Fischer, www.carlfischer.com.
This rollicking four-minute piece for saxophone quartet is challenging, but not virtuosic, and has been performed by groups ranging from advanced high school players to professionals. It was written for the Red Stick Quartet, which describes the piece: “The outer sections are filled with a jazz-influenced rhythmic and harmonic language, while the middle section offers great lyricism. This piece features all four members equally and works wonderfully as a concert opener or closer!”
Restless for Saxophone Quartet, by Stephen Lias, Alias Press,
www.presser.com.
This collection of more than 30 harp solos features popular transcriptions and compositions from Yolanda Kondonassis. The wide variety of selections includes Bach, Handel, Telemann, Scarlatti, Vivaldi, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Sibelius, Puccini, Satie, Fauré, Debussy, and Respighi. The book comes with Kondonassis’s complete editorial markings and extensive performers’ notes.
The Yolanda Kondonassis Collection: Transcriptions, Arrangements, and Original Works for Harp, by Yolanda Kondonassis, Carl Fischer, www.carlfischer.com
Author Bruce Ridge, a member of Local 500 (Raleigh, NC) served as chair of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM) from 2006 to 2016. During that time of economic upheaval and social change, when orchestras were besieged with lockouts and bankruptcies, many people questioned the symphony orchestra’s value to society.
To this environment, Ridge brought an eloquent, positive message, embracing connection through social media, highlighting the value of musicians to their community, and promoting the healing orchestral music can provide. These essays and speeches recount ICSOM’s expanded role under his leadership as an advocacy organization. He addresses topics both global and personal, from the role of arts education in society to the challenge of maintaining mental health in a stressful profession. This collection of writings serves as a remarkable journal of advocacy on behalf of our symphony orchestras.
Last Year’s Words, and Next Year’s Voices: Essays and Speeches from a Decade as Chairman of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians, by Bruce Ridge, www.lulu.com.
The British Amp Invasion chronicles how a minor offshore industry quickly became a world leader and the choice of British guitar heroes and American arena stars alike. The book features backstage histories, compelling stories, and photographs to tell the story of amps made by Vox, Marshall, Hiwatt, Orange, Watkins, Selmer, Sound City, and more.
The British Amp Invasion: How Marshall, Hiwatt, Vox, and More Changed the Sound of Music, by Dave Hunter, Backbeat Books,
www.backbeatbooks.com.
In The Invisible Line: When Craft Becomes Art, seven West Coast artisans discuss their work and make the case for curatorial inclusion of instruments as art, alongside the finest sculptures and paintings in museums. Conceived and edited by guitar builder and foremost inlay creator Larry Robinson, the book includes seven self-illustrated essays penned by practicing artisans, including luthiers Michihiro Matsuda, Tom Ribbecke, and Ervin Somogyi. Whether you’re a musician, art aficionado, luthier, or woodworker, this volume will awe and inspire.
The Invisible Line: When Craft Becomes Art, edited by Larry Robinson,
Hal Leonard Corporation, www.halleonard.com.
