Following Lyric Opera of Chicago's announcement on the cancelation of its season, AGMA sent the following email to AGMA Artists of Lyric Opera of Chicago: You are receiving this email because you’ve worked at Lyric Opera of Chicago in the past season or were scheduled to work for Lyric Opera during this season. We are reaching out because today Lyric Opera announced the cancellation of the remainder of the 2020-2021 season. To say AGMA is disappointed is the understatement of the year. For those who were not able to join AGMA last night at our emergency shop meeting, we feel it is necessary at this moment to update you on the status of our negotiations with Lyric Opera of Chicago and what today’s announcement means for Artists. ... Read More -->

The latest caucus to establish itself within AGMA is the Operatic and Concert Choristers Caucus (OCCC). AGMA choristers in good standing are encouraged to join the first official kickoff meeting of the OCCC on Thursday, October 29, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. PT. To register and receive the Zoom details, please email OCCC@musicalartists.org. “We’re looking for a representative and diverse group of Artists passionate about affecting choristers’ livelihoods in a positive way,” said Met Opera Chorister Ned Hanlon. “All over the country we confront the same issues and concerns. The time has come to see what we can do to fix them by working together.” The OCCC is dedicated to the promotion of a bette... Read More -->

In its 84 years, the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) has never endorsed a presidential candidate — but that all changed today. The AGMA Board of Governors voted on Tuesday, September 29 to endorse Joseph Biden and Kamala Harris for President and Vice President of the United States. “President Trump has nominated anti-union and anti-worker judges at every level of the federal judiciary, including to the Supreme Court, resulting in judicial opinions that have attacked and undermined the legal status and protections of unions in the United States,” reads a part of the two-page resolution that was presented and approved by the AGMA Board of Governors in support of endorsing Joe Biden as President. This endorsement come... Read More -->

We are pleased to announce that today, AGMA finalized the purchase of its new headquarters. Our new office, located at 305 7th Avenue, will be state-of-the-art, and capable of hosting bargaining sessions, trainings, and other functions of the union. Once it is safe to come together again, we hope that you, our members, come to view this as a place where you can meet, organize, and celebrate with one another. We would like to recap the financial benefit to our members. First, our monthly and annual operating costs for office space have been greatly reduced, as monthly expenses are now far less than what AGMA was paying in rent at our old location. Second, we plan to sublet a portion of the space to another tenant. This renta... Read More -->

AGMA wishes to share some news with you about AGMA’s new National Headquarters, which will bring multiple benefits to the union and our members. The purchase has not been finalized, but we anticipate that happening at the end of September. We had planned to announce the new office space in our upcoming monthly newsletter once everything was complete. You may see some media coverage today regarding this news. Given some misinformation circulating, we felt it was necessary to hear about the new AGMA National Headquarters directly from your union, a few weeks earlier than planned, even though the purchase has not been finalized. AGMA has had its headquarters at 1430 Broadway, in the heart of the Garment District in Manhattan, for many y... Read More -->

Happy AGMA Delegate Appreciation Day! https://vimeo.com/457877879 AGMA has instituted this new day to show our gratitude to our AGMA Delegates, Committee Members, and other Artist Representatives who, year in and year out, do amazing work. This is especially true right now, during these stressful and uncertain days amid the pandemic. We know the extra hours, emotions, and Zoom meetings our Delegates have logged since March and we would not be able to do any of this important work without them. For those who might not know, throughout AGMA, the term "Delegate" is synonymous with "Steward." They are leaders, communicators, and a resource to their colleagues. An AGMA Delegate is selected by co-workers within a bargaining unit to... Read More -->

AGMA is honored to share this performance of Solidarity Forever (AGMA 2020 Version) featuring AGMA members of  The Metropolitan Opera including Nathaniel Hunt, Ashley Emerson, Sarah Larsen, Christopher Job, and members of the Met Opera Chorus. https://vimeo.com/455874289 The Solidarity Forever score (found below) was written by Met AGMA Committee Chair Ned Hanlon (chorister), the Met’s Jeremy Little (chorister), and AGMA Eastern Counsel Sam Wheeler. They wrote this song earlier in the spring to encourage AGMA members to stay strong and stick together during the pandemic. Special thanks to Met Opera Ballet, Met Opera Supers, Maria D'Amato, Rachel Schmiege, Sara Heaton, Lianne Coble-Dispensa, Scott Dispensa, Brandon Mayberry, ... Read More -->

The American Guild of Musical Artists is the labor union of the finest singers, dancers, and staging staff in opera, choral performance, and concert dance in the United States. Like members of our sister unions, COVID-19 turned our lives upside down, leaving thousands of Artists unemployed. This has taken a devastating toll on AGMA artists, cutting fundamental economic lifelines for those of us who spend our lives in the performing arts. Nearly six months later, we continue to confront an unprecedented loss of work and earnings. We were the first to lose our jobs, and will likely be the last to return to work. And yet, have we given up? No. Have we stopped singing, dancing and creating? No. We are AGMA. We carry on. Doing so isn’t ... Read More -->