Since our formation six years ago as the resident choral ensemble of the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir has rapidly established itself as the premier chorus for symphonic works, drawing some of the best choral singers from the region and the country. On December 5, we, the singers of the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir, sent a letter to the Philadelphia Orchestra Association announcing that we had signed cards to form a union with the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), the labor union of the finest singers, dancers, and staging staff in opera, choral performance, and concert dance in the United States. We requested that the Association respect our wishes and voluntarily recognize our union by noon on December 12. That deadline passed. We are currently the only group directly involved in the Orchestra’s performances that is not part of a union. The instrumental musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra are members of Local 77 of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) and the Kimmel Center stagehands are members of Local 8 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). Every day at work, we see the benefits of coming together in union, the strength of collective power, and the gift of solidarity among artists. As highly skilled professional musicians we too deserve to have a collective voice in our working lives. We deserve our union with AGMA. Even though the deadline has passed, it is not too late for the organization to do the right thing and work collaboratively with us on a voluntary recognition process. We now humbly ask for your help. Please demand that the Philadelphia Orchestra Association respect their singers and voluntarily recognize our union! SEND A LETTER! With the support of AGMA, we have launched an Action Network letter-writing campaign and you can send a pre-drafted letter in a matter of minutes. You can send it as is or personalize it any way you’d like. However, PLEASE enter your own personalized SUBJECT LINE to avoid it being sent to spam. The letter will automatically send to: Matias Tarnopolsky, President and CEO; Ryan Fleur, Executive Director; Judia Jackson, Chief People and Culture Officer; Kate Schimmer, Director, Strategic Initiatives; Jeremy Rothman, Chief Programming Officer; and Makiko Freeman, Artistic Administrator. You do not need to be an AGMA member to send a letter through this campaign. Every voice, every supporter of the artists of the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir, matters. We hope you take a further step and encourage friends, family, and colleagues to send a letter as well by sharing this campaign with your network.
Musicology Duck