Secretary/Treasurer Emeritus Serena Kay Williams holds Local 47 dedication day programs from 1950 and 2018, both of which she attended. (photo by Tom Pease)
Serena Kay Williams made history as the first woman officer of AFM Local 47 when she was elected Secretary in 1984, a position she held until her retirement in 2007. Here we recall her legacy as a trailblazing musicians advocate and union leader.
Serena Kay Williams was born April 9, 1921 in Kansas City, Missouri. Serena’s father, who was born in Liverpool, England, came from a musical family. In fact, Jascha Heifetz was her grandfather’s nephew. Her mother, who came from Russia, also counted many artists in her family. Serena’s parents owned a deli in Kansas City. Their cooking was so renowned that her father was crowned the “Chili King of Kansas City” using her mother’s recipe.
When Serena was 4 her parents moved to Los Angeles because of her mother’s health. Serena cared for her mother, who was very ill, and even was issued a special driver’s license at the age of 12 so she could take her mother back and forth to the hospital. Continue reading
Special Enrollment might be the answer. The Actors Fund can help
Violinist and sometime-actress Lucia Micarelli not only adapts well to change, she thrives on it. Born in Queens, New York, to a Korean mother and Italian-American father, by 3 she was already immersed in dance, piano, and violin. After moving to Hawaii at age 5, she debuted as a soloist with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra a year later. In 1994 she left Hawaii and returned to New York to attend the prestigious Juilliard School of Music, where she studied violin for seven years. Following her education, Lucia was asked to join a number of tours and is known for her performances with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Jethro Tull, Josh Groban’s “Closer and “Awake” tours, and with Chris Botti. In 2010 she obtained two union cards, joining both AFM Local 47 and SAG-AFTRA. In March, Lucia spoke with Overture’s Linda A. Rapka on a break during her live tour promoting her PBS Special, “An Evening with Lucia Micarelli.”