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 -->

AUGUST 26, 2020 - American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) and Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC) announce the wide release of the AGMA/SDC Return to Stage and Performing Arts Playbook. “From the onset of this life-changing pandemic, the economic security, health, and safety of our members have been top of mind. AGMA, SDC, and our medical experts are extremely proud of our Playbook, as it helps to address the unique risks of singing, dancing, stage managing, choreographing, and directing,” said Len Egert, National Executive Director of AGMA. “Our Playbook was initially intended as an internal tool for AGMA and SDC, but we are happy to make it widely available to the industry at large, because we are all in this toget... Read More -->

A new caucus has been established within the American Guild of Musical Artists. The AGMA Black Caucus will empower marginalized voices and bodies to combat systemic racism throughout the opera, dance, and choral music industries, and the larger performing arts community. The Caucus serves to work toward several ongoing objectives. Highlights include: Making Black union members more aware of their rights as members and compelling AGMA to do anti-racist work, within the Union and with its affiliated companies, to foster a stronger relationship between AGMA and its Black membersEnsuring that the Union demands that companies implement policies, training, and hiring procedures that shift workplace culture, advance equity, and ... Read More -->

On Tuesday, July 21, 2020, AGMA sent the following memo to its signatory companies: Dear AGMA Signatory Company, As we near the end of July, AGMA is reaching out again to our companies regarding potential reopening and related safety issues. AGMA remains dedicated to working with you to address the daunting challenges that reopening safely will entail. We must commit to working collaboratively and transparently to address the safety and economic security of your artists and companies. From the onset of the pandemic, AGMA’s foremost concern has been the safety and health of our performing artists and the well-being of the companies through which they share their exquisite talents. Our May memo to companie... Read More -->

6/2/2020 - With discussions on reopening beginning around the country across various industries, the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) and Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC) announced that they have engaged the services of medical experts to assist with COVID-19 safety planning and ensure that their members are protected. The two unions—AGMA, which represents opera performers, choral singers, and dancers, and SDC, representing stage directors and choreographers—will be working with Dr. Mark Cunningham-Hill, Dr. Laura S. Welch, and Dr. Stephen J. Anderson, who have multiple decades worth of experience in protecting the health of employees and maintaining healthy workplaces. “AGMA and SDC are ready to work to... Read More -->

On Sunday, May 31, AGMA released the following statement on social media: "The American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) is made up of diverse Artists who put more beauty into the world by coming together in union to create tremendous works of opera, dance, and song.  It is clear that our society remains unequal and unjust. In recent weeks, the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, and the resulting protests by Americans all over the country, have again reminded us of the plight faced by our black brothers and sisters in America. Black lives matter, and AGMA stands in solidarity with those who are fighting for a more equal and more just future.  We call on elected leaders at all levels of government ... Read More -->