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Local 47 2026 Grammy nominees collage

Congratulations 2026 Grammy nominees!

Congratulations to everyone whose work can be heard on the 68th Annual GRAMMY-nominated tracks and albums, recorded under AFM union contracts filed with Local 47! Listen to our #AFM47 Grammys 2026 YouTube Playlist while browsing the list below.

The 68th Annual Grammy Awards will air on Sunday, February 1, 2026. The ceremony will beMehldaumeld broadcast live on the CBS Television Network and will also be available to stream on Paramount+. 

* AFM Local 47 member | * AFM member, other Local
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Live/Music Prep Wage Scales: No increases for 2026

On November 4, 2025, the Executive Board approved the 2026 Live/Music Prep Wage Scale Book with no increases throughout both Live and Music Prep and no additional language. All amounts remain unchanged from 2025.

A digital copy of our Wage Scale book is posted in the members-only section of our website at ensemble.afm47.org. (If you have not yet logged in to our new system, please review the instructions here.)

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Healing Through Music: Nathaniel Blume releases a heartfelt tribute to his father’s memory with ‘nootbar’ EP

Composer Nathaniel Blume recently completed a recording session for his EP, “nootbar,” featuring a 33-piece string ensemble of AFM Local 47 members at the historic Warner Bros. Eastwood Scoring Stage. The session took place on July 20, under an AFM Limited Pressing Agreement, ensuring that union musicians were central to the project’s creative realization. Continue reading →

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November 2025 Overture E-Magazine: Use Your Vote! 🗳️

Inside This Issue:
  • Cover Story – Use Your Vote!
    • CA Statewide Special Election for Prop 50 – November 4
    • AFM Local 47 Triennial General Election – December 9
  • Local 47 2025 General Election
    • How to Cast Your Ballot
    • Prohibited Campaigning Reminders
  • Results of Voting at October 27 General Membership Meeting
  • Member Spotlight: Euro Zambrano
  • AFM Announces Sound Recording Labor Agreement Office Hours
  • Healing Through Music: Nathaniel Blume releases a heartfelt tribute to his father’s memory with ‘nootbar’ EP 
  • Recording Industry’s Music Performance Trust Fund Appoints Industry Veteran Greg Linn as New Trustee 
  • Demand an End to the Government Shutdown
  • EUC Update: Feature Film Announcement
  • Entertainment Union Coalition Members Honored at AD51 Community Excellence Awards
  • Graduate Degrees for Union Families
  • Final Notes: Secretary/Treasurer Emeritus Serena Kay Williams, Ian Freebairn-Smith, Stephen Croes
  • Audition Notice: Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera
  • and more!

Browse our full Overture pdf archives here.

For exclusive members-only Overture content — Executive Board minutes, CBAs, Local 47 Wage Scales, Bylaws, Suspended/Expelled member lists, and more — log in to your new E2 member account at ensemble.afm47.org and browse the “Overture” section on the Documents page. (New to E2? Visit our E2 FAQ here.)

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Results of Voting at Oct. 27, 2025 General Membership Meeting

At our October 27, 2025 General Membership Meeting, members voted to fill a vacancy on the Salary Review Board and on 3 Resolutions to amend the bylaws. The results of voting are as follows:

Special Election to Fill Vacancy on Salary Review Board
Paul Sternhagen: 44
Luanne Homzy: 17

Resolution 1: Proposed Salary Reductions
Yes: 19
No: 40
Resolution not adopted

Resolution 2: Organizing
Yes: 42
No: 10
Resolution adopted, as amended

Resolution 3: Electronic Membership Meetings and Voting
Yes: 47
No: 3
Resolution adopted

An updated set of the Local 47 Bylaws reflecting these amendments may be found in the members-only section of the Local 47 website, ensemble.afm47.org (click the “Documents” button). (If you have not yet logged in to our new system, please visit afm47.org/e2/account for instructions.)

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Final Note: Serena Kay Williams

Life Member & AFM Local 47 Secretary/Treasurer Emeritus. String Bass
4/9/1921 – 10/4/2025

by Leslie Baker

Thank you, Serena. My lifelong friendship with Serena Kay Williams began before I could remember. She informed me many years later that she met me as a 6-year-old holding the hand of my piano-playing father, Dick Baker. I was just starting piano lessons then. My Dad played piano in Earl Williams (Serena’s husband) band, Serena played bass in Earl’s band. She watched me grow going through countless gigs to become a pro bassist. Serena encouraged and loved so many of us musicians. That was her way. Serena is liked, loved and respected by many. There are decades of memories of times with Serena. Let me describe perhaps the most important: When Serena decided her favorite bass, the last one made by Mr. Robles himself in 1962 (he was over 90 when he made this bass) had sat unplayed for too long (her playing days were behind her as she took on her role as a top officer in the Local 47 Musicians Union), she let me know it was for sale. She offered me the chance to have it for a week to decide if it was right for me. After a few days of trying it out we made our deal. Continue reading →

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