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American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO

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AGMA: the union of the finest professional singers, dancers, & stage staff in opera, choral performance, & ballet/contemporary dance

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All year long, AGMA celebrates 90 years of strength and solidarity!! We’ll honor our history, lift up the members who built this union, and share stories, milestones, and ways to get involved as we mark this moment together. We are AGMA: 90 years and counting!

Today, we return to the words that ground and guide us. The Preamble to our Constitution:

"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." by @weareagma

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5 months ago

In this Disability Pride Month Spotlight, AGMA Soloist Rachel Whittington is sharing her play "Missing Person" and shining a light on invisible disabilities and the importance of community:

"Growing up, I struggled and didn’t know why I couldn’t be 'like the other kids,' why things were harder for me from the very start. As an adult, I’ve been able to get some answers, including the diagnosis of several different ‘invisible’ disabilities. On this journey of medical discovery, I have felt immense loss but also profound satisfaction in knowing that it isn’t just me, that I’m not on this journey by myself.

Missing Person was written to explore feelings of loss (perceived or real): the loss of yourself, of friendships, of the life you had or that you wanted. How do you miss a version of yourself that doesn’t exist? My hope is that anyone reading this play will feel that they are not alone. There may not be a quick fix or magic cure, but people can and will love you as you are. Joy can still be found in small moments, and acceptance can be found in community. This message feels especially meaningful to share during Disability Pride Month, and I hope it resonates with anyone navigating disability, whether visible or invisible."

You can read "Missing Person" on AGMA's website! by @weareagma

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3 days ago

AGMA and @operacolorado jointly announce our first-ever collective bargaining agreement! The parties reached an agreement on June 18, and it was ratified by AGMA’s Board of Governors on July 13.

Full joint release can be found on AGMA's website. Sharing quotes from the release here:

“This agreement begins an important new chapter in the story of Opera Colorado, one that I believe honors our superb artists and strengthens both the company and the art we create in our community,” said Barbara Lynne Jamison, the Ellie Caulkins Artistic Director and CEO of Opera Colorado.

“After three years, we are thrilled to have reached this milestone in building a new relationship between Opera Colorado and its artists,” said Adam Da Ros (@adamdaros), who served on the negotiating committee. “This agreement reflects a great deal of hard work on both sides and keeps artists at the center of creating opera, allowing us to move forward together with confidence and a shared belief in a sustainable future for opera in Colorado.”

“A first agreement lays the groundwork for every agreement that follows,” said Tracy Jones, AGMA’s Director of Collective Bargaining. “The time invested in this process allowed both sides to work through important issues thoughtfully, resulting in a strong contract that provides meaningful protections for AGMA Artists and reflects a collaborative relationship with Opera Colorado built on mutual respect.”

“This agreement strengthens our ability to bring operatic storytelling to Colorado for years to come,” said Jamison. “Opera Colorado has a place in the cultural life of this city, and we’re building toward that future together with our artists.” by @weareagma

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10 days ago

When AGMA Soloist Nandani (Nani) Sinha first shared her family's story in the Fall 2021 issue of AGMAzine, she wrote about how music helped her reconnect with her father as he lived with Parkinson's disease and Parkinsonian dementia. That personal journey inspired the creation of Music Heals Minds Los Angeles.

Five years later, that mission has grown beyond what she could have imagined. Today, Music Heals Minds partners with healthcare organizations, senior living communities, and caregivers to bring culturally responsive live music to people living with Alzheimer's disease, dementia, traumatic brain injury, and other neurological conditions. As a doctoral candidate at Johns Hopkins University, Nani is also helping shape the future of the arts in healthcare through research, education, and policy.

Thank you, Nani, for all that you do! You can read her story on AGMA's website. by @weareagma

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10 days ago

Originally published in the Summer 2022 issue of AGMAzine, this conversation with mezzo-soprano Hailey McAvoy kicks off AGMA's Disability Pride Month Spotlights. Drawing from her lived experience as a singer with mild cerebral palsy, McAvoy challenges assumptions about disability in the performing arts and reminds us that artists with disabilities are not a monolith. She discusses the importance of respectful language, the value of simple accommodations, and why accessibility should be built into every stage of the artistic process…from auditions to rehearsals and performances. McAvoy also encourages companies to trust artists to communicate their own access needs rather than making assumptions about what they can or cannot do. Throughout the interview with AGMA’s New York Region Vice President @katharinegoeldner, she highlights how thoughtful collaboration and inclusive practices create stronger artistic environments for everyone. She calls on the industry to recognize artists with disabilities not as exceptions to be accommodated, but as valued artists whose lived experiences enrich our stages. As we celebrate Disability Pride Month, we invite you to revisit this insightful conversation and reflect on how each of us can help make our industry more welcoming, accessible, and inclusive. Read on AGMA's website! by @weareagma

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17 days ago

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19 days ago

Back in the city for a couple days and was proud to have the opportunity to represent AGMA at not one but two rallies yesterday!

First up, in midtown the workers who clean Broadway theaters, members of the mighty yellow and gold of @32bjseiu , are in a tough negotiation with the Broadway League. The strength and joyous power of that group was inspiring and I had the words of a member of their bargaining committee in my head all night: “We are not invisible, we are essential!” Great to march with them as they approved a strike authorization, talk with their leadership, particularly Assistant to the President Roxanna Rivera and Executive Vice President Denis Johnston, and join allies like Local One President Michael “Wex” Wekselblatt, and Assembly member Tony Simone in our solidarity for the Broadway cleaners!

Then, later in the day, it was downtown for a rally with @sciamunion and the @wgaeast . The writers of Scientific American have just organized in the face of some of the worst union busting I’ve ever seen, including mass firing off many at the publication. Their resolve in the face of loss of jobs for themselves and friends left me moved and heartened. Glad I could show up for these inspiring workers, along with Assembly Member @amgracelee , @centrallabornyc Secretary-Treasurer Janella Hinds, Manhattan Deputy Borough President Miesha Smith, and, of course, Queens’s newest Congressperson @claireforny !

(Btw, the “We’re 180 years old but not ready to die” is a reference to how long Scientific American has existed, and not a reflection on either my or Congressperson Valdez’s age! 🤣) taken in New York City by @weareagma

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24 days ago

Union Pride 🤝 San Francisco Pride 🏳️‍🌈💙

📸 @kevinontheirminds by @weareagma

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25 days ago

In our final excerpt from AGMA’s State of the Union, which focuses on the 2026 and Beyond Strategic Action Plan, Secretary-Treasurer J. Austin Bitner highlights the work underway to strengthen AGMA from within.

A key initiative has been AGMA’s "100% Union" drive, a nationwide effort to ensure every artist working under an AGMA contract becomes and remains a member in good standing while strengthening internal organizing, particularly in Right-to-Work states. Through closer coordination between AGMA staff, leadership, delegates, and all members, we have streamlined membership outreach and improved membership compliance across our signatory companies.

Looking ahead, this plank focuses on building on that momentum by strengthening the systems and resources that support our work. As we continue conversations about our long-term financial sustainability, including a possible dues referendum, we are also committed to maximizing our current structure and ensuring every member has the opportunity to strengthen our union.

Watch the full State of the Union now on AGMA’s website and in the MyAGMA portal by @weareagma

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25 days ago

In today’s Pride Month Spotlight, we share an essay by AGMA Chorister Randy Martono-Chai. Drawing on his experiences as a pansexual, Asian American artist, Randy reflects on navigating identity in an industry that often favors narrow expectations. He explores the challenges of bias, the importance of being recognized for one's craft, and why true inclusion means embracing the full complexity of who people are. His full essay is now published on AGMA's website.

Here is an excerpt:

"For years, words of hate have been thrown at me both in person and online. Such words were meant to shame my queerness, my brown skin, my Asian background, and the parts of me that did not fit someone else’s narrow idea of manhood. Bias can come through a glance, a joke, a comment, a slur, or a decision about who belongs in the room. Experiences like these teach you how much energy it can take simply to remain present, composed, and excellent in spaces where others may already have decided what they think they see.

Performance work can also measure people against a narrow physical ideal. Film, Broadway, and regional theatre can create pressure to be tall enough, masculine enough, white enough, or immediately legible enough for someone else’s idea of a role. As a cisgender man who is also pansexual, Asian American, and brown-skinned, I know what it feels like to wonder whether I am being seen for my craft or perceived through assumptions.

Opera has offered me a space where the focus can return to the voice, the preparation, and the craft. Standing only feet away from Grammy- winning musicians, I have felt the honor of being there because I could do the work at a professional level. Receiving that recognition and having my voice taken seriously matters.

Pansexuality has made me especially aware of how uncomfortable some people are with complexity and want identity to be straightforward and easily categorized. Instead of living inside those limits, I have had to make room for strength and sensitivity, discipline and imagination, humor and resilience, all without apologizing for the fact that they live within the same person. My queerness is not separate from my musicianship." by @weareagma

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a month ago

Happy Pride from the San Francisco AGMA contingency! 🏳️‍🌈

📷 @kevinontheirminds

#pride🌈 #weareagma #pridesf #musicalartists #unionpride taken in San Francisco, California by @weareagma

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a month ago

AGMA spoke with Soloist Oswaldo Iraheta about identity, belonging, and the realities of being a first-generation American in today's political climate:

As a first-generation immigrant, AGMA soloist Oswaldo Iraheta has had to traverse American society and the education system. Among his family of Salvadoran immigrants, he would be the first to attend college, an achievement he was celebrated for but had to navigate on his own. He relied on school counselors and friends to figure out his path, switching majors and schools more than once as he tried to find his place. While navigating this unfamiliar terrain, he was also faced with the pressure of what it meant to be an immigrant in the United States.

“When you go to college, you realize you may be American, but you’re still seen as Latino first. I remember my first college tour at a small school in Wisconsin, where I stood out because of my skin color,” he says. “I had a meeting with the Dean of Cultural Affairs, and she told me I might have to work harder; that being a person of color would make things different. No one had ever told me that before.”

Oswaldo reminded her that he was born in this country and is an American, to which the Dean said the first thing people will see is his skin color. That interaction stayed with him ever since.

The pressure that Oswaldo and many immigrants experience has intensified in the past year, taking on a sharper, more directed edge given the social and political climate. He may have been born in the United States, but as a Latino living in New Jersey, he has felt the political climate shift in ways that touch his daily life. Raids by ICE in his community have changed how safe it feels to simply come home.

“Ever since the ICE raids began, I’ve had to carry my U.S. passport with me, looking over my shoulder. That level of fear and anxiety, on top of everyday anxieties, is unnecessary, especially in my own country. Coming home after working in Europe has become, ‘Am I going to be stopped? Am I going to be detained?’ It’s something I shouldn't have to worry about, but I do,” he adds.

Continue reading on AGMA's website! by @weareagma

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a month ago