At its April 29, 2025 meeting, the AFM Local 47 Executive Board unanimously approved a motion to not patronize Avelo or any other airlines that participate in ICE deportations.
Please see below for further information:
April was a busy month for AFM Local 47 live musicians, who perfromed dozens of concerts co-sponsored by the Music Performance Trust Fund.
Brad Rabuchin’s Hidden Agenda
Leader: Brad Rabuchin – 7 musicians
April 3, 2025 @ Alexander Hamilton High Continue reading
On Saturday, May 10, 2025, put your non-perishable donation in a bag by your mailbox. Your letter carrier will deliver it to a local food bank.
The American Federation of Musicians Local 47 and The Animation Guild IATSE Local 839 have adopted the Glassell Park post office to help unload and sort bags of donated food off the mail delivery trucks on Saturday, May 10:
Glassell Station Post Office
3950 Eagle Rock Blvd (at Avenue 40)
Los Angeles, CA 90065
Please join us from 2-4pm & 4-6pm (2 shifts available) and get hands-on to help stamp out hunger! Register at bit.ly/hunger47-2025
Last year, a group of teenage musicians auditioned and were chosen for the opportunity of their young lives: playing a concert with “The President’s Own,” the United States Marine Band. The teens were all part of Equity Arc, a nonprofit organization that provides mentoring and support for young musicians of color, and the concert was set for this coming May. Continue reading
This will be a hybrid meeting format, both online and in person.
In-Person Location: Captain Greg Welch Gathering Place, 3220 Winona Ave. Burbank CA
Virtual Location: Zoom
On the Agenda (subject to change):
– Presentation of 50-Year Pins
– Elections for Election Board and Salary Review Board
– Officer Reports
– Old and New Business
Please join us for our next General Membership Meeting where we will be voting for Election Board (7 seats) and Salary Review Board (5 seats), both of which carry a term of three years.
Open to all AFM Local 47 members in good standing. Light refreshments will be served.
If you will be attending via Zoom: Registration is required. Click here to register. Please be sure to register early — Zoom registraton will close on April 28 at 7:30 p.m. sharp. Once your membership is verified by our staff, you will receive an email link with the virtual access code.
Visit afm47.org/gmm for more information.
AFM Local 47 President Stephanie O’Keefe (pictured center) with San Francisco AFM Local 6 Secretary-Treasurer Beth Zare (left) and President Kale Cumings (right) at a Joint Hearing meeting in the State Capitol on March 26, 2025 as part of the ntertainment Union Coalition.
On March 26, 2025, the Entertainment Union Coalition again traveled to Sacramento to advocate on behalf of the California Film & Television Jobs Program at a Senate Revenue and Tax Budget Subcommittee. Our own AFM Local 47 President Stephanie O’Keefe and AFM Local 6 President Kale Cumings and Secretary-Treasurer Beth Zare joined close to 100 members of the Entertainment Union Coalition to show our support for the expansion of this program from $330 million annually to $750 million annually. Continue reading
Browse our full Overture pdf archives here.
For special 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.)
AFM member benefits include:
• Wage protection
• Health insurance & pension
• Low-cost rehearsal rooms
• Instrument insurance
• Free classes & seminars
• Emergency travel assistance
• Musicians referral service
• Expert help from union staff
Local & international contracts cover:
• Low-budget/student films
• Studio recordings
• Video games
• Live concerts
• Theatrical stage shows
• Motion pictures & television
• Commercials/jingles
• Demos
New and returning members pay ZERO initiation fees through June 30, 2025 — a savings of $140!
Learn more & fill out our online application at afm47.org/join.
We are thrilled to announce the 3rd Annual AFM Local 47 Jazz Festival! The two-day concert series, celebrating AFM Local 47 Life Members, will take place on Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27 in our Captain Greg Welch Gathering Place.
Saturday, April 26
12 pm – The Hard Bop Ensemble
1 pm – Gina Kronstadt & the Winona Wyz Guyz
2 pm – Encore Saxophone Quartet
3 pm – The Witham Section
4 pm – Geoff Stradling & the StradBand
5 pm – LA6
6 pm – Darrell Leonard’s Line Up
Sunday, April 27
12 pm – Tony Jones Vocal Project
1 pm – Bonnie Janofsky Quintet
2 pm – The Eric Ekstrand Ensemble
3 pm – Six Beats Apart
4 pm – Steve Huffsteter Big Band
5 pm – Jennifer Leitham Trio
These performances are generously sponsored by the Music Performance Trust Fund and the American Federation of Musicians Local 47.
Life Member. Cello
2/26/1938 – 3/4/2025
by Daniel Kelley
Ray Kelley had the cello career any musician would covet: a member of the Utah Symphony, Dallas Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, followed by decades of nonstop studio work during a golden era for records, jingles, live TV and motion pictures. But I would rather write about who he was. Continue reading