Another Awards Season is behind us, and what a season it was! This was a big year for members of AFM Local 47, with several of our musicians winning awards, receiving nominations, and having contributed to making the music recordings that contributed to some of the biggest hits of 2018. Continue reading
Recorded at Sony Pictures, Culver City, California, August of 2018, this piece, composed and conducted by Kevin Kaska, was performed by the Recording Arts Orchestra of Los Angeles — all members of the American Federation of Musicians Local 47. Continue reading
Today is International Women’s Day, and we salute all of the strong and talented women in music whose artistry moves, encourages, and inspires.
Many influential women in the music industry paved the path for future generations of female empowerment, and the cycle keeps on going as more female voices stand out from all genres.
To all of our incredible AFM Local 47 empowered union musicians: We honor and celebrate you, today and every day.
Legendary singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell is widely considered folk royalty for her highly prolific, and widely acclaimed, decades-spanning career. Continue reading
The Geffen Playhouse Theater presents a highly theatrical exploration into the soul of an American icon, singer Nat “King” Cole. Continue reading
Legendary musician, actress, and advocate Linda Ronstadt is one of the most accomplished Latina artists of her generation. A Life Member of AFM Local 47, her remarkable and unparalleled music career spans folk and folk rock, to country and country rock, to pop rock and hard rock, to Gilbert and Sullivan and Puccini, to American songbook standards, to Mexican ranchera, to Afro-Cuban, to jazz. Continue reading
AFM Local 47 was pleased to host the 2019 AFM Western Conference of Locals, where officers and delegates from AFM Locals in the western United States and Canadian provinces gathered to review common issues and organize for the upcoming AFM Convention. Continue reading
Twenty years after its premiere, the great American musical “Ragtime” returned to L.A. in a run at the Pasadena Playhouse January 28 through March 3, 2019. Continue reading
John Williams (left) and Gustavo Dudamel (right) shared the stage during an intimate concert series at Disney Hall in January 2019. [photos by Linda A. Rapka/AFM Local 47]
I read the glowing review by Mark Swed of the first night of the Celebration of John Williams in the Times last month, and was moved to have a personal kind of celebration; of knowing John Williams, from our time in Tucson in the 775th Air Force band, through my time as Union VP and President, when I presented both John Williams and Steven Spielberg a commemorative plaque on behalf of Musicians Local 47 at a scoring session of 105 players. The plaques were inscribed with our Local 47 musicians’ thanks for consistently scoring their films here in Hollywood, and thereby using our musicians in the resulting scoring processes. Mr. Spielberg told me at that time that he was genuinely touched by this recognition. Continue reading
On Feb. 1, 2004, Beyoncé performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Super Bowl XXXVIII. The track was recorded in Los Angeles with a 69-piece AFM Local 47 orchestra contracted by Ernie Fields Jr. with Rickey Minor producing and Randy Waldman arranging. Continue reading