Hundreds of musicians and their union brothers and sisters formed picket lines and distributed leaflets in front of Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, in protest of Texas Ballet Theater’s canned music policy. Demonstrators inflated a giant rat balloon to draw attention to musicians’ concerns. Demonstrations were held Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March 27, 28 and 29, 2009 prior to the start of the company’s Cleopatra performances.
The ballet company outsourced its orchestra pit during last weekend’s performances of “Canned Cleopatra,” replacing musicians with a recording it made in China.
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Electronic Media, Labor, Legislative, Local Discussion, National Discussion, Symphonic/Classical
an interview with Tom Jensen
It defies all logic and reason how a performing arts organization could even think of presenting classical ballet on the stage of a $400 million facility in a major population center… without orchestra. Sure enough, this very silly show opens this Friday evening, March 27, amid protesting musicians and 50 area labor unions who are uniting to fight this fraud and injustice.
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Feature/Interview, Local Discussion, National Discussion, Symphonic/Classical
The structure of AFM National Agreements (multiple locals - all employers, all worksites) doesn’t exist elsewhere in Labor because it violates even the most fundamental tenets of union democracy. The only way to create an agreement that covers all employers is to establish representation for all AFM members who work in that industry. The AFM attempts to correct this imbalance through Promulgated Agreements that are established by the sole authority of the AFM’s International Executive Board (IEB), but this system has its obvious pitfalls. The IEB is an elected body that is credited for implementing popular agreements, but must also take hits when they rankle the ire of any one segment of the membership.
The controversy du jour is a promulgagted videogame agreement. This has triggered an unjust attack against AFM president Tom Lee , ripe with sensationalist drama that has been pitched to the press on a weekly basis. If that’s not enough, this dispute has led to two class action lawsuits filed against the AFM.
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Electronic Media, Labor, National Discussion, Symphonic/Classical
Ballet Company Replacing Musicians with Recordings it Made in China
Company outsourced culture, is an artistic fraud and consumer rip-off, Musicians say
In June, 2008, the artistic staff of a Fort Worth ballet company traveled to Shanghai, paid $30,000.00 to the government of China and killed the jobs of our members. Join with us March 27, 28 and 29 as we converge on Bass Hall in Downtown Fort Worth to protest one of the most deplorable acts ever staged in the history of classical ballet theater.
Labor, Legislative, National Discussion, Symphonic/Classical
This mornings email blast from the Colorado Council on the Arts (CCA) contained disturbing news about anticipated stimulus grants. We should be very concerned that 1) only a handful of employers are even eligible to apply for these funds, and 2) if utilized, may only enhance a travel getaway for musicians who summer in Colorado.
Legislative, Local Discussion, National Discussion, Pete Vriesenga, Symphonic/Classical
…I hope to illustrate positive concepts concerning, among others, management/union relationships; funding possibilities; community visibility; and musical relevance with respect to educational outreach…That said, I recently had an interesting conversation with national union activist Chris McKeever. Chris laughed and said that musicians really aren’t union people.
Thoughts?
Conductor's Corner - Tom Jensen, Labor, Symphonic/Classical
Larry has established a worldwide reputation as an arranger, orchestrator, and innovative composer of contemporary music. He’s an accomplished keyboardist, saxophonist, oboist, vocalist and producer. His diverse background, talent and experience, make him the obvious choice to handle the heavy responsibilities of ‘Orchestral Music Director/Conductor/Arranger.’
Electronic Media, Feature/Interview, Labor, Local Discussion, Pete Vriesenga, Rock/Pop, Symphonic/Classical, The Denver Musician
Published in The Denver Musician, Summer 2008
By Pete Vriesenga
Religious Organizations are the nation’s second-largest employer of professional musicians - second only to Performing Arts Companies (Bureau of Labor Statistics). I have been a beneficiary of these work opportunities over my career, as have professional musicians around the world who are impacted by the remarkable history [...]
Feature/Interview, Pete Vriesenga, Symphonic/Classical, The Denver Musician
Sam Gill has appeared with jazz greats such as Max Roach, J.J. Johnson, Phineas Newborn, Paul Bley and Thelonius Monk. He has recorded with the likes of Randy Weston , Art Blakey and Max Roach, and is listed in the International Who’s Who in Music, Who’s Who Among Black Americans and Blacks in Classical Music. In 1955, Downbeat Magazine ranked Sam Gill above jazz icons such as Milt Hinton and Paul Chambers, etching Sam’s name into history as one of the “New Star’s” in jazz. This December, after 48 years as a member of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Dr. Sam Gill will retire from the orchestra after a rich and influential career.
Feature/Interview, Pete Vriesenga, Symphonic/Classical, The Denver Musician
According to DMA president Pete Vriesenga, pit orchestras ranging from 26 to 45 players will provide accompaniment for “Giselle”, “The Nutcracker” and “Dracula.” Previous orchestras numbered only 30, Vriesenga noted. Players’ payment for rehearsals and performances will also increase 3 percent to approximately $97.
Ballet executive director Lisa Snider called the agreement “terrific news,” adding that it ended a full year of talks with the DMA.
Local Discussion, Symphonic/Classical
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