Axel Alexander
Life Member. Piano
5/15/1926 – 6/17/2016
Survived by spouse
H&W: Get Healthy, Stay Healthy
Professional Musicians, Local 47 and Employers’ Health & Welfare Fund
Your health matters, to you and to your family
Getting healthy and staying that way doesn’t have to be complicated.
You can reduce your risk of many health problems by taking care of the basics, like preventive tests and exams and paying attention to your eye health, which might hint at bigger health issues.
Concentrate on these areas to get and keep yourself on track. Continue reading
October 2016 Overture Online: 25 Years With the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
Overture Online
October 2016
Bowled Over
Celebrating 25 Years With the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
Local 47 2016 Election Update
All candidates unopposed, elected by acclamation
Made In Hollywood Honors for TV
LA City Council celebrates this year’s Emmy-nominated homegrown productions
#ListenLA spotlight: Remembering Gene Wilder
Hollywood mourns a silver screen legend
Don’t Get Penalized!
File for your LA Business Tax Exemption
Why Should You File For Unemployment?
What musicians need to know about the California EDD
and more!
The Overture Online app is available FREE @ Apple App Store & Google Play:
Overture Online is optimized for reading via smartphone or tablet. For those without access to a smart device, this issue may be viewed on a web browser (must have flash enabled). Local 47 members may download archived pdf versions from the members section at afm47.org. Continue reading
Meet the Musicians of the Pasadena Symphony Orchestra: Lisa Gass
Lisa Gass: Master Bass Crafter
Pasadena Symphony Orchestra member Lisa Gass not only knows how to play the bass – she knows how to build one.
The founding owner of Los Angeles Bass Works since 1984, Lisa showed an early aptitude for wood sculpture as a child after she received woodworking tools as a birthday gift. By age 13, having toyed around with piano and violin, she decided her true love was the string bass. Continue reading
Orchestra Novo Honors Violinist Kathleen Lenski With Scholarship Fund
Orchestra Novo has created a scholarship fund to honor acclaimed violinist, former Local 47 Life Member Kathleen Lenski. Fifty individuals contributed a total of $7,100 for students attending the Orchestra Novo Summer String Music Academy.
Twenty-three students from across the country attended the Academy, an immersive summer camp for committed music study. It took place at Camp Arroyo Grande July 17-24 and included string orchestra rehearsals, chamber groups, sectionals, individual coaching, as well as social activities, games, and swimming. In total, Orchestra Novo distributed $12,750 in scholarship funds to students attending the camp. Continue reading
Final Note: Frederick Tinsley
Life Member. Bass
(4/17/1947 – 9/19/2016)
Credit: Mathew Imaging
by LA Philharmonic Association
Frederick (Fred) Tinsley, double bass player in the Los Angeles Philharmonic, passed away on September 19, 2016.
Mr. Tinsley, born March 3, 1940, is survived by his wife Juanita Tinsley, children Frederick Douglas Tinsley Jr., Tania Tinsley Little, and Karen Tinsley Williams, and stepchildren Danielle Acoff and Dion Acoff. Continue reading
ProMusicDB.org Announces Free Webinar in Advance of 9/28 Launch Date
The launch date for enrollment with ProMusicDB.org, the first artist-controlled authority of music credits, is just around the corner on September 28 and the organization is offering a free launch party/webinar for any interested songwriters, musicians, producers and engineers. Registration is free at www.promusicdb.org.
In addition, some of the industry’s most respected organizations are already singing the praises of ProMusicDB.org’s revolutionary new platform:
“Protecting the best interests of musicians is the top priority for us, and ensuring proper credit to the work of musicians in the digital age is a major challenge. ProMusicDB.org is not only educating musicians on how important data is to preserving their musical legacies; it is also offering a valuable solution to collect and maintain musicians’ data through its platform.” – AFM Local 47 Continue reading
Local 47 Election News: All candidates unopposed, elected by acclamation
For the first time in recent history, all candidates who submitted nominating petitions for the 2016 Local 47 General Election were unopposed. In accordance with Article IX, Section 1 of the AFM Local 47 Bylaws, the Election Board declares that all of the following candidates, running on the slate of John Acosta, are hereby elected by acclamation*:
President (1): John Acosta
Vice President (1): Rick Baptist
Secretary/Treasurer (1): Gary Lasley
Trustees (3): Judy Chilnick, Dylan Hart, Bonnie Janofsky
Directors (6): Pam Gates, John Lofton, Andy Malloy, Phil O’Connor, Bill Reichenbach, Vivian Wolf
Hearing Board (7): Alan Estes, Jon Kurnick, Jeff Lass, Norman Ludwin, Helen Nightengale, Allen Savedoff, Marc Sazer
Delegates to the AFM Convention** (3): Pam Gates, Bonnie Janofsky, Norman Ludwin
First Alternate Delegate (1): Phil O’Connor
Second Alternate Delegate (1): Vivian Wolf
Congratulations to all of these candidates, and thank you for your willingness to serve the membership of our Union!
Election Board: Mark Zimoski (chair, mzimos@gmail.com, 818-997-7225), Marie Matson, Paul Sternhagen, Stephen Green, Scott Higgins, Nick Stone, Kris Mettala Continue reading
Don’t Get Penalized! File for Your LA Business Tax & Creative Artist Exemption
If you are defined as a “creative artist” under the Los Angeles Municipal Code, you might be eligible for the Business Tax Exemption provision.
Under the Small Business Exemption, no tax is required of creative artists whose total annual taxable and nontaxable gross receipts attributable to creative activities do not exceed $300,000.
This exemption applies strictly to individual “creative artists” (individual, individual acting as a loan-out corporation, or individual acting through a limited liability company), when performing “creative activities” for “entertainment or aesthetic purposes.” It only applies to those receipts the creative artists earn from their creative activities and does not include income from any other source.
The exemption is available as of Jan. 1 during the business tax renewal period. Businesses must file a renewal in a timely manner in order to receive the exemption.
Continue reading
Why Should You File for Unemployment Benefits?
by Lewis N. Levy, Esq.
Even the off-handed mention of filing for unemployment benefits sends most professional musicians scurrying for cover. Filing for unemployment benefits conjures up thoughts of waiting in long lines, dealing with unresponsive bureaucrats, and requires an understanding of the process. But what is most critical to any successful claim for unemployment is a finding by the California State Employment Development Department (EDD) that the musician (or other employee) seeking unemployment benefits is, as a matter of California law, a statutory “employee” of his/her employer, as opposed to a finding that the claimant is an independent contractor. Continue reading