Allegro
Currently Browsing: January, 2003
Machine vs. Musicians: The Virtual Pit Orchestra Scam
Broadway producers are arming themselves for an upcoming showdown with Local 802. Producers believe their weapon, a device dubbed the “Virtual Orchestra” (VO), will finally give them the upper hand in cutting and potentially eliminating live musicians in the theatre.
Virtual Christmas?
When the orchestra assembled for this year’s Radio City Christmas Spectacular, there was an uninvited guest in the band. Brett Sommer and Music Arts Technology had installed a “virtual orchestra” setup that included a computer and synth programmed to play
NYC Ballet Ratifies Contract
The New York City Ballet Orchestra ratified a new three-year agreement in early November, extending the current contract until Labor Day, 2005. The vote was 36-9. At the end of the last agreement, base wages were $1,500 per week. The
New Contract Allows Members to Remit Pension for Themselves
A new contract introduced by the AFM and approved by the pension fund will allow bandleaders to receive pension contributions – even if they are not incorporated. For years, members have known that they cannot pay into their own pension
Jewish Club Date Agreement Makes Substantial Gains
Local 802 has signed off with several Jewish single engagement employers on a new collective bargaining agreement. Representatives from Neshoma, Neginah, Barock and Nafshenu negotiated with Senior Business Rep Peter Voccola and an eight-member team of musicians. Both sides agreed
Ripoff Reminds Union to Get Money First
Recent recording dates in mid-November that were cancelled without sufficient notice stiffed 45 musicians – including instrumentalists, arrangers and copyists – for a total of $40,000, including benefits. The loss reinforced 802’s longstanding policy to get an advance deposit from
Meeting with Big Five Labels Productive
At the last Sound Agreement negotiations, Local 802 and the AFM made it clear that the “Big Five” record labels were missing critical information from hundreds of recording reports making it difficult for the union to enforce the contract. The
President’s Report
Curtains Rise on Broadway Negotiations
As I write this, Broadway negotiations are tentatively scheduled to begin in late December or early January. The Broadway Theatre Committee, made up of representatives from each show, has been working for more than a year and a half to
Union Makes Communication a Priority
Recording Vice-President's Report
In my last column for Allegro I focussed on member services that Local 802 offers, their availability and the means to access them. In this article I’d like to comment on the flow of information: from outside the union to
New Kinds of Health Insurance for New Kinds of Workers
Guest Commentary
If you’re uninsured and rely on gigs and other projects to earn a living, the cost of health insurance is probably a very central concern. With about one-third of Americans now working in flexible or mobile jobs, musicians and other
Allegro Interviews Henry Brant
"Speaking Spatially"
The 2002 Pulitzer Prize for music was awarded to 88 year old Henry Brant for his composition ‘Ice Field’, premiered by the San Francisco Symphony December 12, 2001. Approaching his 70th year as a member of Local 802, Brant talked
How Emotions Can Negatively Effect Performance
Musicians' Assistance Program
There are times when many of us feel that our performance may not be up to par. Sometimes this feeling only lasts for a performance or two. For others, this may continue for an extended period of time and become
Quit Smoking the Natural Way
Lifestyle Notes
(This article, submitted by a Local 802 member, contains advice and suggestions intended to improve one’s health and well-being. Local 802 and Allegro offer no endorsement or recommendation regarding the efficacy or safety of any of the remedies suggested, and
The Rewards of Teaching Music
Member to Member
I love teaching music. I love it for the way it makes me feel when a student discovers the simple logic of the circle of fifths. I love it for the way a little girl and a middle-aged stockbroker light
802 Bookshelf: The Creative Band and Orchestra
by Julie Lyonn Lieberman, Huiksi Music, 2002, 107 pages, $22.95 softcover
This slender large-print folio is Julie Lieberman’s sixth music instruction manual. Aimed at conductors, directors and educators, it suggests some modifications on the traditional teacher/student relationship, including the physical arrangement of the classroom and rehearsal space, and offers strategies, techniques
802 Movie Review: Standing in the Shadows of Motown
Matt Weiers is a pianist, visual artist and music teacher in Portland, Or. Athump, thump, thumping drum; a bouncing, bounding bass; the stinging chord from a bright guitar. A haunting voice floats from your radio and that sound is born
Actors’ Fund Groups and Seminars
Winter 2002
WOMEN’S HIV GROUP Mondays, 4:30-6 An on-going support group for women in the entertainment community living with HIV. For more information, call Elizabeth Avedon at (212) 221-7300, ext. 138. ARE YOU ON THE FENCE WITH LIFE IN THE INDUSTRY? Feb.
Negotiations Roundup
NEW YORK GRAND OPERA Local 802 and New York Grand Opera reached a one-year agreement that covers all work performed at Flushing Town Hall from Sept. 1, 2002 through Aug. 30, 2003. Performance and rehearsal wages were significantly increased. In
Grievance Corner
WESTBURY MUSIC FAIR Local 802 settled a dispute with Westbury Music Fair over cancellation of an engagement by Johnny Mathis scheduled for last March 8-9. The $7,500 settlement represents wages and benefits for 26 musicians who were canceled one day
Executive Board Minutes
October 22, 2002 -- November 12, 2002
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2002 Meeting called to order at 11:30 a.m. Present: President Moriarity, Recording Vice-President Price, Financial Vice-President Hafemeister, Executive Board members Blumenthal, Crow, Giannini, Landolfi, Rohdin, Shankin and Weiss, Assistant to the President Dennison, Assistant Director Lennon. President
Trial Board Report
December 2, 2002
Meeting called to order at 1 p.m. Present were members Goletz, Hood, Koch, Lambert, Ray, Roberts, Schwartz (Trial Board clerk) and Singer. Member Rojas absent. Case #925: Plaintiff Erwin L. Price, Recording Vice-President, Local 802, appeared before the Board to
Bill Crow’s Band Room
I played at a jazz festival last September up at Chautauqua Lake, N.Y., an annual event that is put together by Joe Boughton of the Allegheny Jazz Society. Joe is an enthusiastic organizer and always puts together a good program.