November 24, 2020 - The American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) and Lyric Opera of Chicago have reached an agreement to modify their currently existing multi-year labor agreement that extends through the 2020/21 Season. Lyric’s General Director, President, and CEO Anthony Freud cites, “Together, we have reached our goal of providing our artists with clarity and security, despite the loss of the full opera season, the devastating impacts of the pandemic, and this uncertain climate." “We are thankful that we could work together to focus on the health and well-being of the Artists whose talents create the art seen and heard on the Lyric Opera stage,” stated Len Egert, National Executive Director of AGMA. Lyric and AGMA are full... Read More -->

Dear AGMA Artists: You may have seen Friday’s article in The New York Times about the Met’s proposed cuts prompted by Mr. Gelb’s remarks to the Company. AGMA was quoted in the article and we wish to expand more on our thoughts and position. AGMA represents the choristers, dancers, soloist singers, stage managers, stage directors, and actors at the Met. Without all of these talented Artists and staging staff professionals, the Met would simply not exist, and no performances would be possible. The Met’s position, that this essential group of Artists agrees to substantial pay cuts, not just during the COVID-19 crisis but long after the return to normal box office revenue, is out of step with the rest of the Opera and Dan... Read More -->

We hope that you remain safe and healthy during these uncertain times. It is no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to worsen across the country. The number of positive cases in the US has surpassed 160,000 cases in one day. Some states are reevaluating their reopening plans and reinstituting restrictions, though there is great inconsistency in this from state to state. AGMA is closely assessing the situation and how it varies across the country. From the outset, AGMA’s main priorities have been the health, safety, and livelihood of our members. With no available vaccine, hospitals once again under strain, and deaths from the virus still on the rise, AGMA has recommitted to working collaboratively with our companies to mitigat... Read More -->

November 13, 2020 - The American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) has announced it will hold a Constitutional Referendum. For the first time in many years, the AGMA Constitution will be getting an update. This Referendum is the culmination of more than a year of work by AGMA’s elected member-leaders, who have been working to revise and fix AGMA’s Constitution since last fall. On October 28, the AGMA Board of Governors approved and recommended to AGMA’s membership the “Board of Governors Revision,” a comprehensive rewrite of the AGMA constitution designed to improve AGMA’s governance, increase transparency, and make AGMA’s foundational document more accessible to the membership. The Board of Governors Revision focuses o... Read More -->

Dear AGMA Artists: The right of the members to recall their elected leaders for serious misconduct is a hallmark of a functioning democratic union. AGMA would never intentionally strip you of that right. Since releasing the details of the Board of Governors Revision of the Constitution, some members have raised concerns that the Revision removes this right. I am writing to reassure you that this will not happen should the Board of Governors Revision be approved. To be clear, the ability and procedure for AGMA members to sign a petition triggering a recall election for a National Officer or a member of the Board of Governors was never in our Constitution. Instead, this provision was contained in AGMA’s Bylaws. In rewriting the Co... Read More -->