All year long, AGMA proudly celebrates 90 years of strength, solidarity, and artistry. Throughout the year, we’ll be honoring our history, uplifting the Artists who built this union, and spotlighting the moments that shaped our industries. Expect special updates, historical highlights, member stories, and meaningful opportunities to get involved as we mark this milestone together.
Today, we share this video and return to the words that ground us and guide our work. The Preamble to the Constitution of the American Guild of Musical Artists:
“We are AGMA.
We are singers, dancers, actors, stage directors, stage managers, choreographers, and other professional artists who create and perform opera, dance, and choral and concert productions across the United States.
We come together in union, harnessing our collective strength, as we stand in solidarity with our fellow Artists. We call, with one voice, for dignity, respect, and justice in our workplaces; for safe studios, rehearsal rooms, and theaters; and for compensation and benefits that value our labor and enable us to create works of art that delight, entertain, comfort, and inspire audiences throughout the world.
AGMA is a union founded in hope, premised on the fundamental truth that Artists, like all workers, are stronger together. Tempered through trial, AGMA members have fought together and won, establishing industry standards that have protected, supported, and uplifted generations of Artists. As AGMA members, we are part of this legacy of unionism and activism, beneficiaries of the courage and perseverance of the leaders who came before us and stewards for the Artists who will one day follow in our footsteps.
Our union is and will be a force for good, in our industries and in the wider world. We will continue to fight for our fellow Artists and, in so doing, ensure the future of the Arts in our nation. We will combat hatred, discrimination, and injustice, working together to eliminate racism, sexism, and discrimination from our workplaces and our communities. We will live and act in the belief that our collective efforts can have a meaningful impact on our profession, our lives, and our shared universe. We stand together in solidarity, as part of a larger labor movement, pushing toward a brighter, equal, and just future for all Artists and workers.
We are AGMA.”