International Musician

01/12/2024

Ajibola Rivers (member Local 77, Philadelphia, PA): Change Requires Seeing and Moving Beyond Accepted Norms https://bit.ly/3Zz0pyB

02/11/2024

Performing on a national Broadway tour in different cities across the country sounds like an exciting and rewarding job. According to the four diverse musicians who travel with the Back to the Future: The Musical (BTTF) tour, it is indeed those things—but it also presents unique challenges. Things like living out of a suitcase, missing friends and family, staying healthy both physically and mentally, and finding decent coffee are daily hurdles. Read their story at https://internationalmusician.org/the-musicians-of-back-to-the-future/

Matt Doebler Jaren Angud Emily Orr Bill Leary

01/10/2024

Violinist Cristina Zacharias, member of Toronto Musicians' Association - Local 149 AFM, specializes in baroque performance with the Toronto-based orchestra Tafelmusik. Read more... https://internationalmusician.org/cristina-zacharias/

02/09/2024

01/09/2024

Longtime Saturday Night Live band drummer Shawn Pelton of Local 802 (New York City) splits his time skillfully between live TV and freelance studio work. Read more at www.internationalmusician.org/shawn-pelton/

02/08/2024

Summer festivals provide regular off-season work for many orchestra musicians. Unfortunately, they rarely provide the same union protections the musicians enjoy in their regular jobs.

The International Musician sat down with members of the Colorado Music Festival's orchestra committee to learn how they achieved their first-ever AFM collective bargaining agreement.

Read more at https://internationalmusician.org/colorado-music-festival-achieves-union-contract/

09/07/2024

Sending our solidarity to the members of the Blue Canvas Orchestra, who are negotiating their first contract with Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua. Full story here: https://internationalmusician.org/under-the-big-top-lake-superior-big-top-chautauqua-musicians-organize-with-the-afm/

The July International Musician cover story features the newly organized musicians of the Blue Canvas Orchestra, who are negotiating their first contract with Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua. Full story here: https://internationalmusician.org/under-the-big-top-lake-superior-big-top-chautauqua-musicians-organize-with-the-afm/
Members of Local 18 (Duluth, MN) (L-R): Phil Anich, Tom Mitchell, Severin Behnen, Danielle Diamond, Jack Gunderson, Molly Otis, Billy Knoblauch, Vincent Osborn, and Ed Willett­.
Sending our solidarity as you fight for a fair contract!

01/06/2024

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra Principal Trombone Sasha Romero of Local 802 AFM says visibility is key to confronting stereotypes. Read more... https://internationalmusician.org/sasha-romero-visibility-promotes-acceptance/

MET Orchestra Musicians

16/05/2024

The ukulele sparked Lagrimas’s interest in listening to and learning more about Hawaiian music, in order to better understand its history and progression. “A lot of that also came from meeting other Hawaiian transplants and reconnecting with the culture,” he says. “I got involved in Hawaiian-themed events and concerts on the college circuit. I was surprised by how many established Hawaii clubs there were in colleges up and down the East Coast. So, I learned jazz at Berklee, but I also learned a lot about Hawaiian music.”

https://internationalmusician.org/abe-lagrimas-jr/