Category Archives: Features

Member Spotlight: Bruce Dukov

Bruce Dukov Performs Record 1,900th Motion Picture Score

Bruce Dukov may be the most famous violinist you’ve never heard of — but you definitely have heard him many times.

Since launching his studio career in the 1980s, Bruce has left an indelible mark on the world of film music, as well as in thousands of records and TV shows. His gorgeous and memorable violin solos have been featured in films such as “Aladdin,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Wrongfully Accused,” “Analyze This,” “Batman Forever,” “Addams Family Values,” and in John Williams’ score to “Rosewood.” to name just a few. Last month Bruce reached a landmark achievement when he performed on his 1,900th theatrical motion picture score. Continue reading →

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Member Spotlight: Meredith Snow

Violist Meredith Snow, a native of Long Island, New York, received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Juilliard School of Music, where she was a student of Paul Doktor and Samuel Rhodes.

A former member of the Colorado String Quartet, she has also participated in the Tanglewood, Aspen, and Marlboro Music Festivals. Snow played three seasons with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra before joining the LA Phil in 1986, and she often appears with the Philharmonic Chamber Music Society and the Green Umbrella Series. Continue reading →

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Hot Labor Summer

“Los Angeles is ground zero in the fight for the middle class in America. The Los Angeles Labor Movement is setting the tone for the rest of the nation in their fight against corporate greed in the U.S.” – Yvonne Wheeler, President, L.A. County Federation of Labor

In every industry, every union, workers are saying enough is enough to wages that can’t pay the bills and bosses who have profited off their hard work. Transportation workers, hotel workers, writers, actors, baristas, government workers, teachers, and healthcare workers are standing together in solidarity as they fight for livable wages, benefits, and fair working conditions.

Photo by Linda A. Rapka // AFM Local 47 musicians and leadership turned out to the massive Unions Strike Back rally in downtown Los Angeles on May 26, where thousands of workers gathered in a massive show of solidarity to support the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike.

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Musicians Support WGA

AFM musicians from coast to coast are supporting our Writers Guild colleagues in their strike. Their goal is our goal; winning fair and livable compensation from the same huge film/TV studios we will be negotiating with later this year.

Marking the first WGA strike in more than 10 years, writers walked off the job on May 2 after talks between WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers came to a standstill. Continue reading →

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Behind the Scenes at the 95th Annual Academy Awards

AFM Local 47 musicians once played a featured role in Hollywood’s biggest night at the 95th Annual Academy Awards. Rehearsals and pre-records were held at Evergreen Studios in Burbank in preparation for the Oscars awards ceremony that took place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 12, 2023.

Many thanks to harpist Gayle Levant for sharing these exclusive behind-the-scenes photos from the rehearsals and live event!

View the musicians roster here: 95th Annual Academy Awards Orchestra

2023 Oscar Night at the Dolby Theatre, Hollywood CA

Gayle Levant (harp)

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AFM 47 Women in History: ‘Babe Egan and the Hollywood Redheads’

Violinist and bandleader Babe Egan was a vaudeville superstar. In 1929, she was one of the highest paid women in vaudeville, earning $50,000 that year (equivalent to $880,000 today). She performed for tens of millions of theatergoers in the U.S., coast-to-coast, in Canada, and in Europe, and her band was regularly featured on radio. Continue reading →

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