We are pleased to announce that today, AGMA finalized the purchase of its new headquarters. Our new office, located at 305 7th Avenue, will be state-of-the-art, and capable of hosting bargaining sessions, trainings, and other functions of the union. Once it is safe to come together again, we hope that you, our members, come to view this as a place where you can meet, organize, and celebrate with one another. We would like to recap the financial benefit to our members. First, our monthly and annual operating costs for office space have been greatly reduced, as monthly expenses are now far less than what AGMA was paying in rent at our old location. Second, we plan to sublet a portion of the space to another tenant. This renta... Read More -->

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 -->

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 -->

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 -->

NEW YORK CITY - 3/27/2020 - AGMA is pleased to report that the House passed the CARES Act by voice vote and the President signed the bill into law. AGMA played an important part in the advocacy for this bill, working with the Department for Professional Employees (DPE) and our sister unions to demand COVID-19 relief benefits for our members. This is a win for all of us. This legislation expands economic relief to artists. This is due to the calls, letter writing, emails, and social media outreach to Congress by AGMA members and the members of our affiliated unions. AGMA applauds the quick action of Congress and the President to protect artists in Opera, Dance, and Choral communities who have been severely impacted by COVID-19 ... Read More -->