volume 78 number 1 q1, 2015 - detroit federation of ... · tival’s performance of dave...

Official Publication of the Detroit Federation of Musicians – Local 5, AFM, AFL-CIO

Volume 78 Number 1 Q1, 2015

Home of the Pros

Keynote2015

Election

Kickoff

Details begin

on page 1

LIVE Links to What’s in This Issue

The Music Stand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

2015 Election Notification . . . . . . . . . . .1

WindWords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

AFM Working Musician Connection . . . .5

Donald Baker, Shelley Heron Retire . . . 8-9

Instruments as Carry-On Baggage . . . .10

Musicians and Film Industry Update . . .10

Welcome, New Members . . . . . . . . 12-13

Member Newsline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Navigating detroitmusicians .net . . . . . .15

Member Info, Directory Changes . . 16-17

About eBilling Notification . . . . . . . . . .17

Comedy Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Classified Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . .18

DFM Referral Gigs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Tempo Contributions . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Executive Board Minutes . . . . . . . . 20-25

Local 5 Support Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Detroit Musicians Fund Gifts . . . . . . . . .26

Closing Chord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Poem: “A Living Wage” . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

DFM Member Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Local 5 Office Closings• Presidents’ Day: Monday, February 16• Spring Holiday: April 3

March 15, Sunday11:00 am: Nominating Meeting (see details above)

March 20, FridayClosing deadline for 2nd quarter/election Keynote materials

April 1, WednesdayDue date for 2nd quarter dues

Note earler-than-usual March 20 closing deadline

for Keynote materials.

Calendar of Local 5 Events

11 am: Nominating Meeting

11:30 am: Membership Meeting

12:30 pm: Candidates’ Meeting

SUNDAy, MArCh 15

LOCAL 5 hOSPItALIty rOOM

Nominating/Membership Meeting

These fine folks helped bring you this issue of Keynote . Your support will assure their continued advertising .

Bugs Beddow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Detroit Musicians Fund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

InAccord Discovery Concert Series . . . . . 21

Johnny Rodriguez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Tatum Foundation Benefit Concert . . . . . 17

WSU Music Department . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Our Advertisers

Keynote1st Quarter 2015

• It’s election time again; Local 5 Nominating Meeting 2015 details on pages 1-2, 6

• Oboists Donald Baker and Shelley heron retire from DSO, pages 8-9

• ray hair’s announcement about musical instruments as carry-on baggage, page 10

Special Features in This Issue

continued on page 2

Brand-New Day

“Can’t you feel a brand-new day? Can’t you feel it, a brand-new day?” Happy New Year! and Happy

New Day. The opening line makes more sense if you think of it as the lyric the late Luther Van Dross penned for the tune, “Brand New Day,” which he wrote for the Broadway show The Wiz back in the ’70’s. As a theater musician, I used to suffer from tune recall – having tunes bouncing around in my head from weeks of playing them night after night. Now I think of them as fond memories from the past. At any rate, this edition will elaborate on why I look to this coming year as a brand-new day. I will reflect on several notable productions that took place this past fall, update you on a happy ending for one our sister locals, and inform you of a labor renovation project with ties to Local 5.

DSO, MOt, Fisher and a Club Date

Trying to take in all of the great music going on our Local is quite a challenge, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I attended several events that the Free Press rated as some of the most significant of the year. I already reported on a few of these in my last article (i.e., Detroit Jazz Fes-tival’s performance of Dave Brubeck’s oratorio, The Gates of Justice), but there are a few more to add. To those of you who keep asking me how the Detroit Symphony is sound-ing these days, I usually reply that you need to go down and hear what’s going on. This was never more the case than this past November’s concert in the classical series featur-ing 11 members of the orchestra in various combinations of soloists as well as the entire orchestra. Soloists included principal trombonist Ken Thompkins, playing McTee’s, “Solstice”; Conductor Leonard Slatkin’s, “Endgames,” fea-turing Jeff Zook, piccolo, Sharon Sparrow, alto flute, Mon-

Nominating Meeting

11:00 am, Sunday, March 15, 2015Local 5 Headquarters, Southfield, MI

Candidates may be nominated for the following positions: President

Vice-PresidentSecretary-Treasurer

Five (5) members of the Executive Board of DirectorsConvention Delegate

Eligibility

All Members who are US or Canadian citizens are eligible to run for office as long as they have been a member in good standing for at least one year before the Nominating Meeting and have not been convicted of a flagrant viola-tion of the Constitution, Bylaws or Price List during the same period.

Candidates not in attendance at the Nominating Meet-ing must have an authorized representative present, with proof of that authorization in hand that has been complet-ed and signed by the candidate. (See Sample Authorization Form on page 6.)

Annual Membership Meeting

The Annual General Membership Meeting will immedi-ately follow the Nominating Meeting (at approximately 11:30 am) on March 15, 2015 at Local 5 Headquarters, as indicated above.

Candidates’ Meeting

A short meeting to explain the election process will be held immediately following the General Membership Meeting (approximately 12:30 pm).

The order of the Candidates’ Names on the ballots will be determined by “drawing numbers from a hat” at the Candi-dates’ meeting. Candidates not in attendance must have their authorized representative present for the drawing.

All members may receive an electronic or hard copy version of the Local 5 Election Guidelines by contacting the union office.

2015 Local 5 Election Notification

continued on page 2

The Music Standby

George Troia, Jr.Local 5

President

Keynote u 1st Quarter 2015 u 2

Editor George Troia, Jr .

Managing Editor Susan Barna AyoubGraphic Designer

Virginia L . HuntPrinted by

Messenger Printing ServicePublished by

Detroit Federation of Musicians Local 5,

American Federation of MusiciansKeynote Ad rates

Full page $225 .00 2/3 page $155 .00 1/2 page $120 .00 1/3 page $80 .00 1/4 page $60 .00 1/6 page $40 .00 1/8 page $30 .00

25% discount to members All ads must be union compliant.

Call for rate card and full details .

Materials deadlines: January 15, April 15, July 15, October 15

LOCAL 5 COMMIttEESElection Committee: Michael McGillivray (chair); Benjamin Pruitt, Sr .; Patricia Terry-Ross

Keynote Committee: David Denniston; Alonza McKenzie; George Troia; Susan Barna Ayoub

Local 5 Development Committee: George Troia, Susan Barna Ayoub; David Denniston; Alonza McKenzie; Paul Onachuk

the Music Stand, continued from page 1

ica Fosnaugh, English horn, Laurence Liberson, Eb clarinet, Shannon Orme, bass clarinet, and Marchus Schoon, contra bassoon; Benjamin Lee’s “Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra” featured Hai-Xin Wu and Jennifer Wey, violins, James Van Valkenburg, viola, and Dahae Kim, cello. I simply do not have words to describe the level of tremendous play-ing displayed and what a treat it was to take it all in. The program culmi-nated in one of the best performances of Gershwin’s “An American in Paris” I have ever heard. This is a piece I was familiar with, having dissected and conducted it in my university con-ducting class, and it never gets old to me. The orchestra reveled in an in-strumental showcase with great solos popping out of the orchestra like a meteor shower in the evening sky.

I should also take this opportunity to introduce some of our new play-

ers and welcome them to our mu-sical community. They are violinists Heidi Han, Will Haapeniemi, Alex-ander Sacherellos, and Mingzhou Zhou; principal bassist Kevin Brown; principal clarinetist Ralph Skiano; French hornist Scott Strong; timpa-nist Jeremy Epp; and assistant prin-cipal percussionist Andres Pichardo-Rosenthal.

Welcome to all and congratulations!The Michigan Opera Theater

opened the fall season with Richard Strauss’, Elektra, which was magnifi-cently sung as well as played. Reviews praised soprano, Christine Goerke, in the title role and deservedly so. The review I read also praised the orches-tra, which interacts with the stage as a character in itself, something Strauss does very well as the master orches-trator of his time as far as I am con-cerned. The orchestra propelled the

continued on page 4

2015 Election Notification, continued from page 1

Keynote Campaign Issue

All Candidates may submit campaign statements of up to two hundred (200) words (text only) and an optional headshot (picture), to be printed in the Campaign (2nd Quarter) Keynote Issue. Campaign Statements must be submitted by midnight 5 days after the Candidates’ Meeting (March 20, 2015). No paid campaign advertise-ment will be accepted.

NOTE: Members who have indi-cated their email address be kept con-fidential will not receive campaign

emails. Likewise, members who have requested that their physical address be kept confidential will not receive mailed campaign materials. The Elec-tion Committee recommends that these members contact the union to make a temporary change to this sta-tus, in order to be kept as informed as possible throughout the campaign weeks.

Important: Members must be in good standing as of March 31, 2015, in order to vote.

Keynote


President George Troia, Jr ., ext . 1

pres@detroitmusicians .netVice President

Douglas Cornelsen dcl2dso@sbcglobal .netSecretary-treasurer

Susan Barna Ayoub, ext . 3 sec-tres@detroitmusicians .net

Executive Board Robert Conway David Denniston Robert Lymperis Alonza McKenzie Paul N . Onachuk

A.F. of M. Convention Delegate Gordon Stump

Michael McGowan – AlternatePresident Emeritus

Gordon StumpSecretary-treasurer Emeritus

Byron X . TaylorAssistant to the President

Mary Johnstone, ext . 5 mary@detroitmusicians .net

Membership Administration Membership, ext . 6 & 0

local5@detroitmusicians .netDME referral Agent Referral Agent, ext . 4

pros@detroitmusicians .netAddress & telephone

20833 Southfield Road, Suite 103 Southfield, Michigan 48075

248 .569 .5400Fax Number

General Office: 248 .569 .4716Website

www .detroitmusicians .nethours

Monday – Friday, 10 am – 4 pmholiday Closings

New Year’s Day, M .L . King Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday,

Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Election Day,

Thanksgiving Day and Friday after, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day,

New Year’s Eve

All views and opinions expressed in Keynote articles by non-elected mem-bers are those of the authors them-selves and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policy of the Keynote staff or the Board of Directors of the

Detroit Federation of Musicians .continued on page 4

As you know, in every issue of the Keynote you hear about new

members who have joined the union in the preceding quarter. Perhaps you have noticed over the past couple of issues that there has been an unusu-ally large number of musicians join-ing us for the first time. We are so glad to have them (or you, as the case may be). It’s great to see that people understand the value of joining the union and that good things are being said about Local 5!

Navigating Local 5’s Website

Then on page 15, you’ll see a contin-uation from last issue about our web-site, particularly on accessing various informational documents (for exam-ple, our membership directories), to which you can have easy access as a member of Local 5.

DSO Personnel Changes

On pages 8-9, Local 5 Member Ann Lemke shares an article she wrote for The Double Reed, Vol. 37, No. 3. It is about the “changing of the guard” that is taking place in the Detroit Symphony, specifically in the oboe section, with the retirement of Don-ald Baker and Shelley Heron. Coming in the next issue is an article about a master class given by Don Baker for Ann’s students at Cranbrook.

Flying With your Instrument

Along with its national agreements, publications and insurance benefits, the AFM promotes legislation that protects musicians’ interests. On page 10, you’ll see AFM International President Ray Hair’s announcement that the US Department of Trans-portation released the final rule that fully implements the law authorizing musical instruments as carry-on bag-gage onboard US air carriers. This is a truly historic accomplishment and affects all musicians who have occa-sion to travel by air with their instru-ments. My congratulations to all par-ties who were involved in this success, especially my colleague on the AFM Diversity Committee Alfonso Pollard, current AFM Legislative Director.

Local 5, a Canadian Connection

On the subject of travel and govern-ment: By virtue of Detroit being a major border crossing between the US and Canada, it is not unusual for musicians (especially our own mem-bers) to contact Local 5 for assistance with the necessary paperwork. You may or may not be aware that the union is recognized by both countries as an authorized petitioner for tem-porary work permits. As a representa-tive organization, the Federation pro-vides the same level of service as do immigration lawyers and visa service agents. The AFM works with both governments to cut through the red tape normally associated with getting work visas in either location. If you plan to perform on the Canadian side of the border, you can apply for non-

by Susan Barna Ayoub,

Local 5 Secretary-Treasurer

AFM Local 5“Home of the Pros”


WindWords, continued from page 3


immigrant work permits through your union.

taking All your tax Deductions

Finally, please remember to contact us for a record of the

production through the nearly two-hour one-act presen-tation that was simply awesome – and it was especially gratifying to hear more than 80 musicians in the pit. Again, congratulations to our musicians!

The sounds of Motown filled the Fisher Theatre for a month-long run, with the Free Press reporting $4.5 million in ticket sales. The score of the show comprised over 40 songs from the Motown songbook, which had the audi-ence toe tapping and singing throughout every time a tune kicked off. Congratulations to an outstanding pit!

During the last week of the run, the Temptations came to our suburban Andiamo Celebrity Showroom, where I had a chance to catch up with old acquaintances – Temptation member Otis Williams and road manager Billy Banister. We played the show to a packed house, which made me think this stuff is timeless. So, even though I’m writing about a brand-new day, there is validity in “everything old is new again.” By the way, the contract for this engagement was filed at Local 5 by member and contractor Kenneth Robinson.

NABEt and FOX reach an Agreement

Many of you who have come to Local 5 over the past year have noticed our “Turn Off Fox 2” sign that we have had on the lawn. On Facebook some of you even no-ticed Susan, her husband, Al, and myself at various loca-tions picketing Fox 2. This is because one of our building tenants, Local 43 of the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians (NABET) of the Communica-tions Workers of America (CWA), did not have a contract with Fox 2 WJBK. In support of them, we were asking you to turn them off and refrain from appearing on their broadcasts. We are happy to report that an agreement has been reached between the parties for a three-year agree-ment, giving them raises, as reported by Local 43 President Dorethea Brown-Maxey. She thanked us for our support,

and we thank all of you who asked about this struggle and supported them in this difficult negotiation. A struggle for one is a struggle for all. “Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.” –John F. Kennedy.

Labor Legacy Landmark Transcending

Those who were around in 2003 might remember being part of, or noticing a Local 5 ensemble of trumpets and drums playing for the dedication of the monument on Jef-ferson overlooking Hart Plaza and the Detroit River. The huge steel sphere and bronze sculpture by renowned artists David Barr and Sergio DeGusti has been featured in mov-ies and National Geographic, and is visited each year by thou-sands of tourists. Damage and time left our Labor Legacy in disrepair with missing and crumbling tiles, worn texts, drainage problems, vandalized lights, and surface cracks.

I remember donating money to have the monument built in honor of my family members who were union members. My grandfather, Giuseppe, and father, George, were both UAW Local 600; my dad and brother, Buzzy,

tax-deductible membership and work dues that you (or your employer) have paid for in 2014.

And, a harmonious, healthy and happy 2015 to you!......sba

continued on page 5

Al Ayoub, Susan Barna Ayoub and George Troia .


Local 5; and me, Local 5 and Local 231, DFT. I have been named to the restoration committee and, in a similar fash-ion, we are trying to raise $75,000 for the needed repairs. This time, I donated for my mother’s side, the Nardones, many of them founding UAW members like my dad and grandfather. They will memorialize your donation for con-tributions of $100, but donations of any amount are wel-come and would be greatly appreciated. Secretary-Trea-surer Susan Barna Ayoub, and her husband, Al Ayoub have


Transcending, the Michigan Labor Legacy monument in downtown Detroit’s Hart Plaza at its dedication in August of 2003, was made even more memorable by the perfor-mance of Local 5 trumpet players and drummers .

made a generous donation in their family’s name. If you would like to donate, send your tax-deductable donation to:

Michigan Labor History Societyc/o Walter P. Reuther Library5401 Cass Ave.Detroit, MI 48202

Today’s workers and future generations will thank you for your vision and your commitment in making this a “Brand-New Day.”

A New International Musician Feature: the AFM Working Musician Connection

Starting in January, the International Musician launched

a new AFM Working Musician Connection weekly

e-newsletter sent by request to current members and

to all new AFM members. This AFM Working Musi-

cian Connection will offer advice to get more gigs,

promote the benefits of AFM membership, and help

musicians feel more connected to the AFM.

Sign up today by sending an e-mail with the subject

line “Working Musician” to: [email protected].

Nominating and General Membership

MeetingSunday, March 15

11:00 am: Nominating Meeting

11:30 am: General Membership Meeting

12:30 pm: Candidates’ Meeting

LOCAL 5 hOSPItALIty rOOM

• •

• •


2015 Election Notification, continued from page 2

Sample Authorization Form Candidates not in attendance at Local 5’s Nominating Meeting on Sunday, March 15, must have an authorized repre-sentative present, with proof of authorization in hand that has been completed and signed by the candidate. The official authorization form appears below.


Department of Music

Located within a major research institution and a short walk from concert halls, galleries and museums, the department offers unmatched opportunities to study with an outstanding faculty of performers and scholars

The Wayne State University Department of Music gives you access to excellence

undergraduate concentrations PerformanceMusic EducationComposition Jazz StudiesMusic Technology Music BusinessBachelor of Arts in Music

7 graduate and certificate concentrations PerformanceJazz PerformanceTheory/Composition Conducting Master of Arts in MusicGraduate Certificate in Orchestra Studies

6

visit music.wayne.edu for more information

Study with members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Michigan Opera Theatre orchestra, as well as Detroit’s most acclaimed classical and jazz performers

Perform at the Max M. Fisher Music Center, home of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra


The Detroit Symphony Orchestra oboe section has reached the end of an era now that two of its long-

time members are retiring.After an astonishing 41 years as principal oboist, Donald

Baker has retired. Don’s combined 50 years as principal oboist in major symphony orchestras may well be a record.

As a student at Oberlin College Conservatory, Don studied oboe with Devere Moore and became friends with flutist Erv Monroe, also a student. After only three years at Oberlin, Don won the principal oboist position in the Dal-las Symphony Orchestra, where he played for nine years. When he joined the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in 1973, Don became principal oboist beside his friend Erv Mon-roe, the orchestra’s principal flutist.

For nearly 30 years, Shelley Heron played second oboe to Don, which she says fulfilled her aspirations. “I never aspired to be a principal oboist, rather, I wanted to play sec-ond oboe to a great principal. With Don, I accomplished

my goal.” Shelley, who commuted from Sarnia, Ontario, to play in the DSO, had planned to retire from the orchestra as soon as she had sold her house. “I have been perform-ing in orchestras for 35 years. Each of us knows when it’s time to retire and my time was now.” Shelley and her hus-band, Ron George, principal hornist of Orchestra London, recently moved to London, Ontario, and she’s now busy setting up their new home. “I enjoyed my tenure in the Detroit Symphony,” she says. “I left with many great life-long friends and I carry a host of wonderful memories.”

Shelley has been active in DSO education, and fre-quently coached oboists in the Civic Youth Ensembles. In 2012 she co-founded AVANTI Summer MusicFest, a summer festival for young musicians and DSO members. Shelley will continue to work with AVANTI. (For more information on the program, please see www.avantisum-mermusicfest.org).

A farewell party for Don in September 2013 also served

The DSO oboe section at the farewell party for Donald Baker on September 14, 2013: Shelley Heron, Donald Baker, Brian Ventura and Monica Fosnaugh .

Detroit Symphony Orchestra oboe section at Avery Fisher Hall in New York, September 22, 2013: Shelley Heron, Brian Ventura, Donald Baker, and Monica Fosnaugh . The orchestra performed a full concert of music by the Gug-genheim Award-winning, Chinese-born composer Xiao-gang Ye presented by the Beijing Modern Music Festival .

Donald Baker and Shelley heron retire From the Detroit Symphony Orchestra

•by Local 5 Oboist

Dr. Ann Lemke


as a fundraiser for AVANTI. Guests enjoyed a gourmet meal at Don and Sally Baker’s charming historic home near the Detroit River. Following the meal, a trio of DSO obo-ists comprised of assistant principal oboist Brian Ventura, Shelley Heron, and the section’s newest member, English hornist Monica Fosnaugh, performed. They played the first movement of Beethoven’s Trio Op. 87, Variations on “Là ci darem la mano,” and selections from the Variations on “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” by Joseph Salvalaggio, prin-cipal oboist of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.

Shelley created an impressive video tribute to Don that was shown at his farewell party. She interviewed many cur-rent and former DSO musicians who pay tribute to their beloved colleague. The soundtrack features DSO record-ings highlighting Don’s solo work with the orchestra.

Don and Shelley shared a musical compatibility, friend-ship and mutual respect for one another. He remarks: “I think Shelley and I had an amazing run of sitting next to each other and playing together for 29 years. She has a great sound, big and dark, which made me feel like we had a really good blend, and she’s very meticulous about the intonation. Our timing also seemed to match. But prob-ably most amazing is that in all those years, we never came close to having a fight! I always looked forward to going to work, knowing that we would sit there and have fun. And I think we became close friends. It doesn’t get much

Trio comprised of Brian Ventura and Shelley Heron, oboes, and Monica Fosnaugh, English horn .

Ann Lemke with DSO oboists Shelley Heron and Donald Baker on September 14, 2013 .

better than that.”Don Baker, whose interests include traveling and ski-

ing, plans to enjoy his retirement and to stop playing oboe completely, to “go cold turkey,” as he puts it.

Robert Sorton, who played assistant principal oboe in the DSO from 1975 to 1988 before becoming professor of oboe at Ohio State University, concurs that it was a con-genial section. Don was easy-going and let him play many choice solo parts. They used to “cover each other’s backs”, he recalls. Bob jokes that many of his stories are not print-able. “It was a pleasure playing next to him. I got spoiled!”, he comments.

English hornist Monica Fosnaugh states, “I’ve had the pleasure of working with Don and Shelley for the past few years, and their artistry and collegiality will be greatly missed.”

Detroit concertgoers will miss the beautiful perfor-mances by Donald Baker and Shelley Heron and all they brought to the orchestra!

Dr. Ann Lemke, member of DFM Local 5, is the oboe instruc-tor at Cranbrook Schools and principal oboist of the Rochester Symphony Orchestra and the International Symphony Orchestra.

Article reprinted with author’s permission from The Double Reed, Vol. 37, No. 3.


Musicians and the Film Industry, an Important Updateby Kim Roberts Hedgpeth

Musical Instruments as Carry-On Baggageby Ray Hair, AFM International President

continued on page 11

I am pleased to announce that on December 30, 2014, the United States Department of Transportation re-

leased the long awaited final administrative rule which fully implements section 403 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2012 – the law authorizing musical instruments as carry-on baggage onboard US air carriers. This historic ac-complishment was led by your Union and made possible through efforts by Members of Congress who are longtime AFM allies, and officers and rank and file members of Lo-cal 161-710, Washington, DC. We were also assisted by the Department of Professional Employees, AFL-CIO and by many of our music industry partners.

I am currently analyzing the rule in order to bring you a concise, comprehensive explanation of these new poli-cies and how they affect you. Look for that analysis soon at www.afm.org and in the February edition of the Interna-tional Musician.However, I’d like to bring to your attention several important points that I believe are worthy of your immediate attention.

• Airlinesarerequiredtoallowsmallmusicalinstruments,such as a violin or guitar, to be carried into the cabin and stowed in approved stowage spaces, if available, and/or under the seat.

• Once safely stowed, airlines cannot require passengersto remove their instruments, even if space taken by their instrument could accommodate one or more other car-ry-on items.

• Airlinescannotchargeanadditionalfeeforinstrumentsas carry-on or checked baggage other than any standard fee imposed by the carrier.

• Airlinesarenowrequiredtotrainaircrews,gateagents,counter agents and baggage personnel concerning ap-propriate procedures necessary to comply with all FAA musical instrument transportation policies.Those of you interested in reading the rule can do so

here: http://www.dot.gov/airconsumer/final-rule-musi-cal-instruments.

The Film Musicians Secondary Markets Fund (FMSMF) works to serve the film, television and mu-

sic communities and to meet the needs of film musicians whose talents fuel the industry. To this end, the FMSMF is pleased to provide ongoing updates to Keynote for the benefit of Local 5 members.

“New” Films

The FMSMF received residuals for 137 “new” titles dur-ing the first seven months of the FMSMF fiscal year (April 1-October 31, 2014). Most of the newly reported titles were films and TV programs that were first released in their primary market during 2012, 2013 or 2014; although a number of titles were older films and TV shows that gen-

erated secondary market receipts and paid in residuals for the first time.

Forty-four of the “new” titles were theatrical films – from big budget features such as Frozen, Captain Phillips and Secret Life of Walter Mitty to smaller films such as Nebras-ka, The Best Man Holiday and At Middleton that generated both critical recognition and sales in secondary markets. For television, there were 90 “new” titles reporting for the first time during the first seven months of the year, includ-ing the 2013-14 seasons of Walking Dead, American Horror Story (Coven), Nashville, Sleepy Hollow and Smash. In most cases, a complete season of individual episodes of a series is reported as one title, although there were 11 individual

Kim Roberts Hedgpeth is the Administrator of the Film Musicians Secondary Markets Fund. The FMSMF’s mission is to provide support to film musicians and the entertainment community worldwide and assist in establishing ecognition of musicians’ work by ensur-ing the payment, processing and distribution of residuals generated by their talent and services.

http://www.dot.gov/airconsumer/final-rule-musical-instruments

http://www.dot.gov/airconsumer/final-rule-musical-instruments


Seasoned pro with more than 30 years of live stage experience available now for a permanent band position or freelance assignments

JOHNNY RODRIGUEZLatin percussion:

congas • timbales • bongos

Specializing in Salsa, Merengue, Classic R&B; with mastery of Old School Rock, Latin Jazz and Funk

[email protected] • 248.996.4219

episodes of two PBS series’ reported as individual titles within this group. “New Media” is now emerging, with the first two seasons of Netflix’s House of Cards reporting musi-cians’ residuals for the first time. Of course, there will be additional “new” titles remitting residuals earned by musi-cians in secondary markets during the rest of the fiscal year, which ends on March 31, 2015.

Residuals paid to the FMSMF between April 1, 2014-March 31, 2015, will be paid out in the July 1, 2015, distribution. A list of “new” titles for fiscal year 2014-15 can be found at the FMSMF website, www.fmsmf.org/filmtitles/newfilms.html, which our staff updates on an ongoing basis throughout the year. Please check our web-site to view the list of 2014-15 “new” titles, as well as the list of all titles reporting in so far during this fiscal year.

Unclaimed residuals

Thank you for helping to get the word out! During the first seven months of the FMSMF’s fiscal year, which began April 1, we distributed just over $900,000 of unclaimed secondary market residuals to musicians and beneficiaries

who had not been previously found. This year, we’ve add-ed to our existing efforts to research and find musicians and beneficiaries who may have unclaimed residuals, by focusing our message in trade magazine ads, communica-tions with AFM Locals and outreach in different venues on encouraging musicians to check our unclaimed list. We’re making progress, but still need your help. Please check the FMSMF unclaimed residuals list at www.fmsmf.org/un-claimedchecks to see if you or a fellow AFM member you know has unclaimed residuals waiting for them. In particu-lar, as a reminder about AFM-covered sound record-

ings: If a covered sound recording is used in an AFM-cov-ered theatrical or TV motion picture, the musicians who worked on that recording may be entitled to secondary market residuals. So if you work on a session for a sound recording,, make sure your complete information is on the B-4 form and the B-4 is filed with the union … because one day that recording may generate FMSMF secondary market residuals for you.

From all the staff at the Film Musicians Secondary Markets Fund – best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2015!


Welcome, New Members

Matthew Balmer is an accomplished trumpeter with a background primarily in jazz and pit orchestras. He plays with the Depot Town Big Band. He is also a highly trained and accomplished conductor. Matthew is seeking work as a conductor, and additional jazz/rock and pit orchestra gigs.

Michael Dause plays with The Accidentals.

Jeremy Epp was recently appointed Principal Timpanist with the Detroit Symphony after holding the same posi-tion with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra for four sea-sons. A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Mr. Epp he attended the Cleveland Institute of Music. Active as an educator, he has been an instructor at the University of Manitoba, and has given clinics and masterclasses internationally.

Kenneth Groesbeck has sung at various notable events, including the National Anthem at Tiger Stadium (1985), and for the Pope John II (1987). He has also sung in vari-ous groups, including Wayne State University’s Men’s Glee Club (1971-72), the Edison Company Chorus (1986-87), the FoMoCo Chorus (1988). Ken has been a Catholic church organist since 1967 and worked at Santeiu Funeral Home in Garden City, MI (2005 - 2010). He is a member of the American Guild of Organists and teaches piano and organ.

Marcus Elliot (Miller) is a saxophonist/composer/edu-cator who is quickly gaining recognition for his imagi-native improvising and fervently thoughtful voice on the saxophone. Marcus was awarded a scholarship for his tal-ents as a musician to attend Michigan State University to study with Wes “Warmdaddy” Anderson, Diego Rivera

and Rodney Whitaker. Since graduating from MSU, Mar-cus has performed across the globe in places like Canada, Cuba, Barbados, South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. As a band leader, Marcus has led the Marcus Elliot Quartet for the past 8 years. As a Sideman, Marcus has performed many well-known musicians, including Karriem Riggins, James Carter, Marcus Belgrave and Johnny O’Neal. He is the Artist-in-Residence at Troy High School and was the Director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Civic Jazz Band in 2012-2013.

Sean O’Connell plays with the Wayne State University Orchestra.

Heidi Riggs studied at Indiana University with Myron Bloom, 1993 - 1995, on scholarship. She recently studied at the University of Utah as their principal horn, 2010 - 2012. She has played with various semi-professional groups in New Jersey, New York, and North Carolina. She is seek-ing work with an orchestra, symphonic band or chamber groups.

Zara Rivera performs with the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings. As a horn player, she enjoys performing a wide variety of music, from traditional orchestral, chamber, and solo repertoire to contemporary and avant-garde pieces, new music premieres, installation art, experiential multi-media performances, electro-acoustic music, and the sub-genre of just intonation. She also loves to improvise and is inspired by experimental jazz and free jazz idioms, sound art, meditation, and nature. She is seeking orchestral, cham-ber, improvisation and contemporary/new music work and teaches French horn.

Andres Pichardo-

Rosenthal is the new Assistant Principal Per-cussionist with the De-troit Symphony

continued on page 13


Bobby Streng is a saxophonist, composer and arranger of all genres of music. When not leading or co-leading his own jazz fusion groups such as Liquid Street, the House Big Band, Saxom-ble, or the Bobby Streng Group, he can be heard as a member of the Moanin’ Frogs, Walter White and Small Medium at Large, the Paul Keller Orchestra, and as a freelance musician around Detroit and the Midwest. Bobby has enjoyed the privilege of trav-eling nationally and internationally with the Harry James Orchestra led by trumpeter Fred Radke. This has included multiple tours of the US and Canada, a trip to South America, two consecu-

tive performances at the Montreal Jazz Festival (2009 and 2010), and two double bill tours with the Glenn Miller Orchestra. In addition to his work with HJO, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra featured Bobby in the lead alto role of Jimmy Dorsey on a 31 concert tour across the US in 2009. He performs with Taiwanese marimba virtuoso Isabelle Huang in the Jazoe Duo. Bobby is a Conn-Selmer artist and is seeking arranging work and saxophone performance in any genre. He also teaches saxophone.

Scott Strong is a new member of the Detroit Symphony horn section. He loves to teach and play horn!

Get Local 5 Gear. Pick up your Local 5 T-shirt and/or decal at the Local 5 reception window, order online at www.detroitmusicians.net or by mail. To order your Local 5 gear by mail, fill in all appropriate blanks.

One T-shirt $12.50 One car decal $2.35State sales tax per shirt .75 State sales tax per decal .15S&H per shirt 2.50 S&H per decal 1.00Total cost per shirt $15.75 Total cost per decal $3.50

_____T-shirts x $15.75 = $_____________ _____decals x $3.50 = $______________

For T-shirts only, circle T-shirt size(s): M L XL 2XL Circle T-shirt color(s): Black Light blue

GRAND TOTAL: T-shirt total $_______ + Car decal total $_______ = $____________

Name ________________________________________ Daytime phone ______________________________

Street ________________________________________ Email address ________________________________

City___________________________ ______________ State ________ZIP ____________________________

Please make check or money order in the amount of the grand total above payable to Detroit Federation of Musicians and mail to: Detroit Federation of Musicians, 20833 Southfield Road, Southfield, MI 48075

If questions, call Local 5 at 248.569.5400, Monday–Friday, 10 am to 4 pm.

Welcome, New Members, continued from page 12


Member Newsline

We want to hear your news, too . Simply contact Sue Barna Ayoub . You don’t have to write a thing, but any-thing you do write would be gratefully appreciated .

Fisher Theatre Orchestra reed section during Motown the Musical last October: L-R, Mark Berger, Paul McCaf-

frey and Paul Onachuk.

Local 5’s January Orientation Meeting and Open House: L-R, Kenny (G) Groesbeck, new member; Bob Finzel; Jeff

Pedraz, new member; Dan

Brucato; Mary Johnstone, new member; Jerry Hampton

and Ernie Skuta.

Local 5 member Heather Buchanan-Gueringer, found-er-director of the Metro Detroit Performing Arts Center (MDPAC), reports on her organization’s latest scholarship activities. She says, “We are partnered with Ben’s Encore, www.bensencore.com, a local nonprofit that supports local musicians and music education. Ben’s Encore selected us to provide music lessons for students in need in Metro De-troit, providing the lessons free of charge. We have worked with students from as far away as Wayne and Fenton.

“Ben’s Encore is named for Benjamin Borowiak, a tal-ented local musician who played with several bands in the metro area. In his off time he supported many local chari-ties, including Focus Hope, Habitat for Humanity, Selma’s Home, Angel’s Night, Blight Busters, and others.

“Please let the membership know we are still looking for additional instructors, and musical instrument dona-tions are needed.”

For more on the MDPAC, email [email protected] or visit www.DetroitMetroArts.com.


detroitmusicians.net: NavigatiNg to the MeMbers area

detroitmusicians.net is your website, and you de-serve to get the most out of it. We would like to en-list your assistance in making that happen. Let us know what’s not working for you, and we’ll respond as necessary. Also, tell us what you would like to see on the site that’s not here or may not yet be com-pleted. Otherwise, we’re guessing, and that may not always be the best way to meet your needs.

Some members have already been in touch with us to report that they had difficulties in getting to the private Members Area. Well, for all who asked as well as for those who didn’t, here’s some help.

First, go to detroitmusicians.net. Starting on the home page, look at the extreme right side of the black navigation bar and click on the Log In button. Window u will open. Fill out the Username and Password from the Detroit Federation of Musicians email you received right after you registered.

The first time you log in with your new Username and Password, window v appears. Click on the right red button, SKIP THIS STEP, and you will be taken into the Members Area.

Alternatively, if the WELCOME BACK page w opens, click on the MEMBERS button at the right-hand end of the black navigation bar at the top of the page to go to the Members Area.

In the Members Area x, you now have access to all the Local 5 information you could ever want, including Calendar, CBAs, Documents, Keynote, Minutes, News, Public Disclosure Room, Schedul-ing, Your Detroit Musicians Profile, and Informa-tion and Support. With the wealth of resources at your fingertips, it’s well worth the trip to go there.

What else can we do to aid and assist your cause?

u

v

w

x

http://detroitmusicians.net


HOME ADDRESSKerstin Allvin2200 Clearwood Ct.Shelby Twp, MI 48316Joni Day31 Evergreen DrSeabrook, NH 03874Daniel Johnson413 WoodlawnRoyal Oak, MI 48073Napoleon Kelly3550 GuilfordDetroit, MI 48224Charley Lea1440 Beckwith Ave. NEGrand Rapids, MI 49505Sean Mallare4325 Manitou DrCinton Twp, MI 48038Steven Nistor2415 N WattsPortland, OR 97217

Charles Shermetaro36756 Harper - Apt. 3-207Clinton Township, MI 48035Alexander Shier3310 Blue Water DriveBurtchville, MI 48059Ralph Skiano Jr 669 W. Canfield, Coach HouseDetroit, MI 48201Jeanne-Marie St. Germain175 South Ventura, Apt. 215Ventura, CA 93001Anthony Suhy23511 Sherman StOak Park, MI 48237Robert White1925 CommonwealthKalamazoo, MI 49006William Wooten6201 East Lake Mead Blvd., Apt H229Las Vegas, NV 89156

HOME PHONEKerstin Allvin248-659-8498Napoleon Kelly313-409-5904Emmett Stewart317-733-6923CELL PHONEKerstin Allvin248-613-2458Ralph Skiano Jr804-334-4067Jeanne-Marie St. Germain661-644-6964 EMAIL ADDRESSEldred [email protected]

Natalie [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Hampton [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Directory Changes (10/1/14-1/21/15)

New Members (10/1-12/31/14)

Balmer, Matthew1431 Leforge #101Ypsilanti, MI [email protected], trombone, euphonium, conductorBrown, Kevin15 E Kirby #1229Detroit, MI [email protected] bass/double bassDause, Michael23201 Argyle StNovi, MI [email protected],vocalist

Epp, Jeremy3100 Woodward Ave., Unit 204Detroit, MI [email protected], percussionGroesbeck, Kenneth566 Sunningdale DriveInkster, MI 48141-4006313-278-3231; [email protected], organ, vocalist, bass guitar/electric bass, autoharpMiller, Marcus1055 S. Tipsico Lake RoadMilford, MI [email protected], clarinet, flute

O’Connell, Sean24802 Christian DriveBrownstown Twp, MI 48134734-286-2675; [email protected], piano, percussionPichardo-Rosenthal, Andres76 W Adams #1206Detroit, MI [email protected], pianoRiggs, Heidi2484 Dundee DrAnn Arbor, MI [email protected] horn

Rivera, Zara6245 Wellesley DriveWest Bloomfield, MI [email protected] hornStreng, Robert369 Skydale DriveAnn Arbor, MI [email protected], fluteStrong, Scott4615 Olivia AveRoyal Oak, MI [email protected] horn

Resigned Members (10/1-12/31/14)Almaguer, SamuelBain, DavidGalloway, ToddGatwood, Carole

George, RonaldOien, TheodoreRehner, Michael, Jr.Rifel, Craig

Reinstated Members (10/1-12/31/14)Gaboury-Sly, JanineHammond, RebeccaHsu, Yawen DrHunter, StevenHwangbo, SherylJames, CurtisJensen, Robert

Kelly, NapoleonMartinez, MatthewSaroli, LeslieSmith, JamesTolstyka, KyleTurner Houk, Rachel

DON’t GO MISSINGWant to know what’s going on?

Want gigs? Want to keep in touch?

When you move, get a new phone number or email address, let us know.


MusiCares Foundation assists musicians, songwrit-

ers, composers, recording engineers and other music

industry professionals experiencing personal, medi-

cal or financial emergency . As one of The Recording

Academy’s (GRAMMY’s) two charitable foundations,

MusiCares reaches out to assist music professionals

struggling with medical crisis, addictions issues, loss

of livelihood, dental emergencies, HIV/AIDS and oth-

er unforeseen crises . MusiCares’ assistance consists

of emergency financial grants, and/or referral to oth-

er helping resources . The application process is quick

and user-friendly, and respects the confidentiality and

the dignity of the applicant . For more information,

contact Dee Dee Acquisto, M .S ., Senior Director

of Health & Human Resources toll-free at 877-303-

6962 or visit www .grammy .com/MusiCares .

MusiCares for Music People

hOW tO StAy IN GOOD StANDING

To avoid being expelled, be sure to pay your member-ship dues during the first month of each quarter . Your next payment is due on Wednesday, April 1. On Fri-day, May 1, all members who have not paid their dues will be suspended .

Expelled Members (10/1-12/31/14)Adams, DwightBennett, Clarence Catchings, RandallDennard, AllenEvans, MichaelFilewych, KevinGrady, StephenJames Peters, ArleneLee, CharlesLivingston, Alfonzo

Malis, MichaelMcKeever, ShanePatrick, Gregory RProuty, Patrick MichaelRussell, JamesSanders, OnitaTaul, VirtisVan Ausdal, KristinWalker, JosephYoung, Nolan

eBilling Important Notice

Members who have given the union an email

address but have not opted out of eBilling will no

longer receive dues billings in the mail .

Please contact Local 5 if you are unsure of your

options or would like to opt out of eBilling .


— Comedy Corner —I’m thinking of opening a Russian Dance Club in downtown Detroit . I’ll call it “Putin on the Ritz .”

By the way . . . why do ballerinas dance on their toes? Couldn’t they hire some taller women?

David Bowie’s new album is a greatest-hits collection called “Noth-

ing Has Changed .” On the cover he looks in the mirror and says nothing has changed .

But when I look in the mirror, I say, “Hello, Grandpa .”

CAMPING TIP: When using a public campground, a tuba placed on your picnic table will keep the campsites on either side vacant .

Our “Comedy Corner” editor is Joe Podorsek . If you have a comedy item you would like to submit for

consideration, please email Joe at basso@aol .com .

This is a free service to Local 5 members . Cost to others offering or seeking musical products or services is 30¢

a word . Submit to Susan Barna Ayoub at Local 5 (sec-tres@detroitmusicians .net) .

WANTED, teachers & instruments. Metro Detroit Performing Arts Center, located in Local 5 headquarters building, seeks additional instructors. Email: [email protected] or visit www.Detroit-MetroArts.com.JAZZ & CLASSICAL MuSIC Benefit Concert, sponsored by James Tatum Foundation for the Arts, Inc. Sunday, March 22, 5:30 pm, Detroit Symphony Orches-tra Hall. Order tickets ($25) online at www.jamestatum-foundation.com. For information, call 313.255.9015 or email [email protected] & JAZZ, sponsored by In-Accord, is free op-portunity for players 8-18 years. It is held every Sunday, 3–5 p.m. at Baker’s Keyboard Lounge, 20510 Livernois, Detroit. In-Accord is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, which promotes youth music students through mentor-ing and support. To learn more, contact Al McKenzie, In-Accord President & CEO, at 248.809.9886 or www.in-accord.org. (Donations gratefully accepted.).

Classified Ads

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Laurence LibersonPriscilla MarinoLarry MarroneHaden McKayStephen McKenzieGlenn MellowBenny MoonGlenn MoonEugene PageFlo PaterniPaul Reeves JrPatricia ReiterBarbara RobinsonAnthony RossiAnthony RussoBarry SchigeloneDavid SchreinerBeatriz StaplesAlan TedrickPatricia Terry-RossGeorge Troia JrGeorge Troia JrNicholas WaselowichEdward WellsDerrick WilliamsRobert WilliamsVincent YorkBurton ZipserBarbara ZmichTOTAL = $609.50

PLANNING tO BE AWAy tEMPOrArILy?

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returned issues of Keynote!

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• Alleviating hardship with financial aid to struggling musicians

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Proudly ServingLOCAL 5...

To learn more:[email protected]

248.569.5400, ext. 3


Minutes: Executive Board Meeting, 10/16/14


The regular monthly meeting of the Executive Board was called to order at 11:05am, President George Troia being in the chair, as well as Vice President Douglas Cornelsen and Secretary-Treasurer Susan Barna Ayoub being present. Also present were Executive Board Mem-bers Robert Conway, Robert Lymperis, Alonza McKenzie and Paul Onachuk.

11:07pm Alonza McKenzie joined the meeting.On motion by Mr Onachuk, seconded by Mr Lymperis, to approve

the agenda, it was approved unanimously.On motion by Mr Lymperis, seconded by Mr McKenzie, to approve

the minutes of the previous meeting as presented, they were approved unanimously.

The next meeting of the Executive Board will take place on Thursday, November 20, at 11:00am.

11:13am ROPA Delegate Barbara Zmich, as well as Greg Near and Celeste McClellan joined the meeting.

Ms Zmich began by stating that it was her honor to represent both the Michigan Opera Theatre and the Ann Arbor Symphony as Delegate to the ROPA (Regional Orchestra Players Association) 2014 conference, marking ROPA’s 30th Anniversary. She also holds the post of ROPA President Emerita.

Ms Zmich provided a lengthy report, which included the following:The conference was held at the Westin Pasadena from August 1-3, 2014

and hosted by AFM Local 47 Los Angeles and the musicians of the Pasa-dena Symphony. The musicians of 85 orchestras now participate in ROPA.

Ms Zmich attended the Pit Orchestra Member at Large (MAL) breakout group, in which 15 orchestras participated. Many general is-sues overlap between pit and mainstage orchestras. Particular pit orchestra topics included the difficulty of humanizing the orchestra to the public since musicians are within such a large group of specialists (featured sing-ers, chorus, staging, etc.) Musicians should have their own Facebook page (the MOT musicians do; A2SO musicians need one), featuring plentiful close-up “on the job” photos and the rest of the things musicians do to cobble together a living. They talked about the Conductor Cam video issue (Porgy and Bess at DOH used this tool); it’s actually quite prevalent around the country. Some protest its use, seeing it as a forced, unpaid rehearsal.

11:20am David Denniston joined the meeting.The rest of the pit orchestra session centered on specific issues such as

proposed cutting of per service rates for different kinds of concerts, the right to a Facebook page even when management claims the musicians can’t do that (they can), attempts by a music director to fire 18 musicians at once (didn’t happen). Notably, the Tulsa Opera delegate commented that “Right-Sizing” the season hasn’t worked for them and they continue to lose performances, something to keep in mind at MOT, which is at-tempting to “Right-Size” the company under the new CEO.

The conference itself opened with a dynamic address from Maria Elena Durazo, Executive Secretary-Treasurer Los Angeles County Fed-eration of Labor, AFL-CIO. Ms. Durazo pointed out that the current struggles aren’t about just jobs but about the welfare of the broader com-munity. It takes enormous courage for workers in places like Walmart to go out on strike. Working in low-wage jobs with poor or no benefits, bringing equipment to work that employers should provide, subsidizes those employers and places the burden of supporting those workers onto the backs of taxpayers. Groups and sectors combining in community can be powerful. We all have more in common every day with other workers

than we pay attention to!Ms McClellan spoke about a presentation she attended that was given

by Mark Madrigal and Steve Leach, IATSE members from LA, who spoke about how to deal with musician issues and concerns with pit and stage performances and rehearsals. Pit safety is their main concern. As Mark said, “If you see something, find a stage hand to rectify the situa-tion.” Mark related his own background experience going back as far as his father, who flew Mary Martin in the Broadway production of Peter Pan. Union stagehands like to meet challenges – they just need to know if someone is having a problem. Get to know your stagehands, ask man-agers to introduce them before a show run or season. IATSE needs to support musicians and vice versa. Steve reminded the participants that “If you don’t look good, I don’t look good – we’re all out of work.”

Randall Whatley of the Cypress Media Group in Lansing spoke about his collaboration with orchestra musicians to help get their message out to the public in the musicians’ own voices. Love for our institutions comes from the musicians! We need to get other members of the community to publicly join us in that stance. It’s important to have the right musicians representing our positions. Different people have different communica-tion strengths. Sometimes it’s the orchestra member you’d least expect who will resound best with the public. Mr. Whatley’s latest efforts have concentrated on saving ROPA’s own Green Bay Symphony, whose man-agement touted its “Farewell Season” as something to be excited about!

There was a PR and media messaging session with Randall Whatley and Bruce Ridge (ICSOM Chair). “Participant engaging presentation on crafting our orchestras’ messages to better explain the necessity of our existence as professional classical musicians to our communities and how we benefit the same.” That sentence is an example that would not do at all! “Why we need music” would have a much greater impact. “Classical music brings people in touch to what it means to be human” will also resonate. We need to think Twitter-size messaging and who our media audience is on any given topic. In addition Randall recommended two books: Sons of Wichita about the Koch Brothers and Deer Hunting with Jesus, which gives liberal-minded thinkers some insight into some of the reasons half the population votes against their own best interests.

Several sessions centered on the explosion of social media and the benefits for orchestra musicians and our musicians’ associations. Twitter is currently the most effective tool, with Instagram coming on strong. Facebook is still a potent player but doesn’t have the immediate impact of Twitter. However, to be optimally effective an organization needs to be tweeting constantly. At least some members in the organization need to be willing to post relentlessly. Interestingly, many of the delegates aren’t heavily involved with social media, an observation that was clearly sur-prising to the presenters.

Harold Owens and Evan Wilson from the MusiCares Foundation made an emotional presentation about their organization’s services for musicians, including medical issues and addiction recovery. They stressed the importance of neither discarding nor judging a fellow musician with an alcohol or drug problem. Concerned colleagues can contact Musi-Cares, or the musician with the issue can make the call if he or she is ready to get help. Evan noted it’s important to address the classical music population. Visit www.musicares.org.

President Troia commented that 8 ROPA orchestras take part in the AFM Strike Fund. Ms Zmich added that their participation in the Fund depends on their size.

A lengthy discussion followed about the existence and proper usage


Executive Board minutes continued on page 22

of the Conductor Cam. VP Cornelsen com-mented that it should be unacceptable that there be the expectation for musicians to use it. Ms Zmich stated the common sense, “Just be prepared to play your best.” Mr Onachuk added that a number of musicians do not have the computer equipment to use these tools. Mr Conway does not think this discus-sion is finished, though the cams have been used in other cities for quite a while. Mr McKenzie commented that perhaps a DVD would have been more useful than a dropbox download. Mr Denniston commented that the Mary Poppins tour used the Conductor Cam 5 years ago [by including a DVD with each advance book] and it was very helpful.

Returning to the ROPA report: Todd Jel-en, Canton (OH) Symphony delegate, gave a report on the Labor Notes Conference in Chicago this past summer. Musicians need the labor movement, and the labor move-ment needs and welcomes us! Music is al-ways a great way to energize fellow workers at meetings, rallies and labor actions. Detroit-based Labor Notes is a media and organizing project that has been the voice of union ac-tivists “who want to put the movement back in the labor movement” since 1979. Todd’s attendance was made possible by an award from the “Lew (Waldeck) and Lenny (Lei-bowitz) Fund” that Ms Zmich helped set up several years ago to recognize labor activists within the AFM player conferences.

Ms Zmich expressed her gratitude to her colleagues at ROPA, to her spouse Ms Mc-Clellan for taking notes on the sessions she had to miss because of not being able to be in two places at once, and to their Miniature Schnauzer Tuko for taking the 8,000-mile road trip with them and for brightening the experience of the delegates. She also thanked Local 5 and Local 625 for supporting their orchestras’ ROPA membership.

Mr Near thanked Ms Zmich for rep-resenting MOT at the ROPA conference, a job that they have passed back and forth. President Troia and Sec/Treas Ayoub thanked them for their service. Mr Near commented that 77 musicians will be performing in the orchestra for the season opener Elektra. At the beginning of a new 2-year contract, there is a great level of musicianship being displayed.

11:47 Ms Zmich, Mr Near and Ms McClellan left the meeting.President Troia gave the following report:President Troia reminded the board members about the upcoming

Semi-Annual Meeting, which will take place on Monday, October 20, 2014, at 7:00pm. The bylaw resolution which proposes a change to the price of membership dues for Youth members is on the agenda to be considered by the members.

The final version of the Detroit Symphony contract and accompany-ing side letter has been signed. Bids are being taken for the printing. The annual DSO New Member Luncheon will take place on Wednesday, October 29th.

The new agreement at the Fisher Theatre has been signed and is in place.The signatories for the Community Orchestra Master Agreement are:

the Dearborn Symphony Orchestra, the Grosse Pointe Symphony Or-chestra, the Livonia Symphony Orchestra, the Michigan Philharmonic,



10/16/14 Executive Board Minutes, continued from page 21

IMPORTANT REMINDERPlease keep your life insurance beneficiary

information up to date. Your heirs will love you for it.



the Redford Civic Symphony, and the Motor City Symphony Orches-tra, formerly known as the Warren Symphony Orchestra. The agreement is in place in all instances. Note: The Southern Great Lakes Symphony has not signed the agreement yet. Mr Conway asked whether Southern Great Lakes was still functioning. President Troia reported on an Au-gust performance that was cancelled as a result of a state-of-emergency weather declaration. The union is in discussions with management about making sure the agreement is honored with respect to the rehearsal that had taken place.

The Michigan Opera Theatre management is reviewing the final ver-sions of both the MOT and DOH agreements.

President Troia has made repeated calls pertaining to the previously discussed DMC commercials, but there has still been no payment.

The Color Purple is coming to the Music Hall for five shows, running from October 23-25. This show is being presented by the Phoenix group and is not union in any way. Obviously, the management at the Fisher is upset because it is the opening weekend of Motown the Musical, and the Fisher is union in every way. Please help the union by letting us know if you or anyone you know is contacted to play this show. This is an op-portunity for us. Mr Denniston asked who is booking the show. Presi-dent Troia replied that it may not be being hired locally. Mr McKenzie reported that he saw Jennifer Holliday in Chicago and that they may be bringing Chicago musicians.

President Troia and Sec/Treas Susan Barna Ayoub attended a Solidar-ity Dinner at the IBEW Hall, at which the keynote speaker was National AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. He spoke regarding the decline of standard of living of the middle class over the last thirty years. Ms Ayoub mentioned that she happened to sit next to Civil Rights Movement icon David Claxton. President Troia said that they sat across from a group of young people from Michigan United, who organized the Billionaires Ball event in Lansing.

An ensemble comprised of Pat Prunty, Jim Frobe, Susan Barna Ayoub and President Troia performed in Lansing at the “Billionaires Ball” – a protest regarding the pension tax on seniors. The event featured speakers, an “affluenza” table to remedy the rich and musicians playing appropri-ate selections. President Troia has a personal student/teacher connection with the father of Ryan Bates, the Director of Michigan United. [Note: When officers participate in political events, such as the Billionaires Bal and the Trumka dinner, they cover their own expenses.]

President Troia, Sec/Treas Susan Barna Ayoub Susan and Al Ayoub attended the funeral of member Samuel Fanfalone. He was a 69-year member and was 101 years old.

Sec/Treas Ayoub presented reports of Monthly Income, Cash Dis-bursements and Comparative Fiscal Year-to-Date. On motion by Mr Onachuk, seconded by Mr Conway, to receive the reports, they were received unanimously.

Sec/Treas Ayoub presented the Payroll reports. On motion by Mr Lymperis, seconded by Mr Conway, to approve the reports, they were approved unanimously.

Sec/Treas Ayoub presented the Officers’ Expenses and Charge Cards reports. On motion by Mr Denniston, seconded by Mr McKenzie, to approve the reports, they were approved unanimously.

Sec/Treas Ayoub presented a report of a New Member Applications from Ralph Skiano Jr, Mingzhao Zhou, Joshua Jones and Mary John-stone. On motion by Mr Conway, seconded by VP Cornelsen, to accept the applications, they were accepted unanimously.

Sec/Treas Ayoub presented a report of member reinstatements, resigna-tions, suspensions/expulsions and deaths, as well as a Local Census report.

Moving on to Old Business, President Troia reported that he had got-ten a bid of $40,000 to do a complete fix on the parking lot and $5,400 to sealcoat it. He will ask what would the guarantee on the complete fix cover and not cover.

Under New Business, Sec/Treas Ayoub reported that she attended the AFM Diversity Committee meetings in Las Vegas in early October. AFM International President Ray Hair is altering the focus of the group, shifting its attention to the AFM ListenUp! campaign. ListenUp! is led by rank-and-file musicians to halt the offshoring of film and television music scoring, starting with Lionsgate Entertainment – a major TV and film production company. Lionsgate is taking advantage of tax credit incentives meant to attract filming, but sending post-production work (which includes film scoring) overseas, where the work is done cheaper and below industry standard working conditions. Committee members will be securing endorsements from high profile members of their local unions. The shift in focus for the committee also includes local organiz-ing drives in our own communities. Local 5 will have access to direct input and advice from Paul Frank, Director of the AFM Organizing and Education Department.

12:53pm Mr McKenzie left the meeting. On motion by Mr Denniston, seconded by Mr Onachuk, to approve

the date and time of the January Member Orientation and Open House to be Monday, January 12 at 12noon, it was approved unanimously.

President Troia reported AFM International Secretary-Treasurer Sam Folio’s comments at the MidAmerica Conference that it is acceptable practice to post a Right-to-Work freeloaders list, i.e. musicians who per-form under a collective bargaining agreement but do not join the union, citing Right-to-Work as their reason.

President Troia handed around a thank you note from Marcella Duda, the widow of deceased Local 5 member Wally Duda.

1:05pm Local 5 Member and Substitute ICSOM Delegate Craig Rifel was called to make his report from the ICSOM conference from California. Both he and President Troia represented the Detroit Sym-phony at the conference.

The 2014 ICSOM Conference took place at the Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles, CA from August 24-28. Highlights of the conference were as follows:

A negotiation workshop took place the day before the first general session of the conference. Committees for both sides were chosen to represent an orchestra and management side during a negotiation where wages, compliments, early buyouts and such were traded back and forth until an agreement was reached. The topic of $100K and $150K buyouts were fictionally offered – a scenario similar to what was actually being offered in Atlanta.

In his address to the first day general session, Chairman Bruce Ridge said, regarding orchestras running like businesses, that it is a “... well known fact that most (90%) of new restaurants fail in their first year of business, yet no one stops eating or concludes that we do not like to eat.”






The AFM Strike Fund currently has $3,345,425.54 and has paid out $3 million in benefits over the last 14 years. In addition to the current 51 ICSOM orchestras, the musicians of 8 ROPA orchestras and 10 OC-SOM orchestras also participate in the fund.

Randy Cohen, Vice President of Research and Policy for Ameri-cans for the Arts, reported that arts spending accounts for $135 billion of GNP and supports 4.1 million jobs. (www.americansforthearts.org/economicimpact) According to Mr Cohen, “Arts & Economic Prosper-ity IV is our fourth study of the nonprofit arts and culture industry’s impact on the economy. The most comprehensive study of its kind ever conducted, it features customized findings on 182 study regions repre-senting all 50 states and the District of Columbia as well as estimates of economic impact nationally. Despite the economic headwinds that our country faced in 2010, the results are impressive. Nationally, the industry generated $135.2 billion of economic activity – $61.1 billion by the na-tion’s nonprofit arts and culture organizations in addition to $74.1 billion in event-related expenditures by their audience. This economic activity supports 4.1 million full-time jobs. Our industry also generates $22.3 billion in revenue to local, state, and federal governments every year – a yield well beyond their collective $4 billion in arts allocations.”

Norbert Neblonski of the Minnesota Orchestra thanked everyone for their support and, especially, those that hired locked-out musicians. They received $400K from the strike fund. He believes the legal fees to the Twin Cities local union exceeded $200K.

Michael Moore of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra reported that they were locked out in 2012 and are being threatened again (now true). The orchestra is running a deficit; they want to lower the compliment

from 95 to 88, make more cuts in salary and are offering buyouts to long time members of $125K.

Guest Speaker from FIM, Federation Internationale de Musicians, Andres Winkler, spoke about his Orchestra in Austria, Orchestrer Ver-einigte BuhnerWien, which is also being undermined by cheap former Eastern Block musicians willing to work for equivalent wages of $40–$50 per service.

There was an AFM-EPF presentation by Bill Moriarty (former 802 President), Phil Yao (TMA/RMA/ROPA member who we lobbied for years ago as a rank and file rep), Laura Ross (ICSOM Secretary), and Brian Rood, (ICSOM President), all trustees representing musicians. The Pension Fund was started in 1959 to provide pensions for casual musi-cians. It has 7,000 employers, 50,000 participants, and 12,000 retirees. The defined benefit is based on the employees’ contributions. The fund is growing at about 8.2% without taking undue risks. Last year, the fund took in about $210 million but had expenses of $161 million. As of April 1, the fund was 86% funded. The AFM-EPF is the top earner last year among the entertainment union pension funds.

A report was given on the Metropolitan Opera situation, describing how the committee started preparing last winter for a possible situa-tion, enlisted the support of auditors to make a case for mismanagement, and built a campaign highlighting this until a compromise scenario was agreed upon. They relied heavily on the media and political support.

VP Cornelsen asked whether any Detroit Symphony musicians who do not join the union would be eligible to receive Strike Fund monies. The answer is no. He also stressed the importance of sharing this report with the current DSO Orchestra Committee members.

On motion by Mr Onachuk, seconded by VP Cornelsen, to adjourn the meeting, it was adjourned.

The regular monthly meeting of the Executive Board was called to order at 11:05am, President George Troia being in the chair, as well as Vice President Douglas Cornelsen and Secretary-Treasurer Susan Bar-na Ayoub being present. Also present were Executive Board Members Robert Lymperis and Paul Onachuk.

On motion by VP Cornelsen, seconded by Sec/Treas Ayoub, to ap-prove the agenda, it was approved unanimously.

On motion by Mr Onachuk, seconded by Mr Lymperis, to approve the minutes of the previous meeting as presented, they were approved unanimously.

President Troia gave the following report:President Troia thanked the members of the board for attending the

October Semi-Annual Membership Meeting and thanked Sec/Treas Ayoub taking up a TEMPO collection of $58.50. Those who gave re-ceived a TEMPO pin. There was no quorum; therefore, the proposed amendment to the local’s youth membership was not presented. Ms Ayoub suggested that members be asked for their thoughts on the reso-lution before bringing it back to the floor for a vote.

President Troia reported that the new DSO contract is now at the printer. Ten new members of the orchestra attended a luncheon on October 29, given by Local 5 and hosted by President Troia and Sec/Treas Ayoub. All new members of the DSO have now joined the local.

Moving to the Fisher Theatre, President Troia gave a positive review of Motown the Musical, which was reported by the Detroit Free Press to have grossed $4.5 million over its four-week run. Mr Onachuk com-mented that the conductor gave the Detroit musicians glowing praise.

After some apparent hesitance, the Southern Great Lakes Symphony Orchestra has agreed after all to become signatory to the successor Community Orchestra Master Agreement, which brings the number back to seven signatory orchestras. Musicians that requested payment for a rehearsal for a performance that was cancelled due to a weather-related state of emergency last summer have been paid. Work dues and pension contributions were paid for all.

Final documents for the Detroit Opera House and Michigan Op-era Theatre have been signed. The MOT Agreement is being printed. President Troia attended the opening production of Elektra, which he described as outstanding.

All of the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations are now finished and in force.

Local 5’s election of officers will take place in 2015. The Election Committee is made up of Michael McGillivray – Chair, Ben Pruitt Sr and Pat Terry-Ross. The American Arbitration Association will admin-ister the election. Relevant dates are as follows:• Nominating meeting: Sunday, March 15, 2015, 11:00 am.• Ballots: mailed on April 30, returned by midnight May 15 and

counted on May 16.• Swearing-in of officers: Wednesday, May 20 at Board Meeting.

President Troia attended the funeral service for former Local 5 member Chuck Moss and the visitation for Jean Nuccilli, widow of Local 5 deceased member Ed Nuccilli.


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11:29 Alonza McKenzie joined the meeting.The rehearsal big band known as the Rea Deal is asking for per-

mission to donate services for a December 7th concert with proceeds going to the church at which they rehearse. On motion by VP Cor-nelsen, seconded by Mr Lymperis, to approve the request, it was ap-proved unanimously.

President Troia is assured by Addison Granillo of the AFM West Coast office that payment is in the process for the Detroit Medical Center commercial use of “Reach Out (I’ll Be There).”

Prior to this meeting, President Troia had emailed to the members of the board a report from the Mid America Conference and asked if there were any questions.

11:34am Local 5 Member and Theatre Musicians Detroit Chapter President Alan Ayoub joined the meeting.

Mr Ayoub attended the 19th National TMA Conference in August 2014, which took place in Fort Worth. The national TMA currently brings in about $10,000 yearly with expenses of $8,500. Next year’s conference – the 20th – will probably take place in San Francisco. There are now two new chapters – one in Dallas/Fort Worth and one in Washington, DC. Welcome!

There have been significant national TMA bylaw changes, spear-headed by the TMA Legislative Committee, made up of Paul Castillo, Tom Mendel, Mark Pinto and Walter Usiatynski. Local bylaws are in the process of being restructured to comply with the national. As a re-sult, TMA dues will now be payable only once per year; formerly, some members paid dues in summer and some in winter.

TMA chapters from all over the country were in attendance at the conference, in addition to AFM President Ray Hair, AFM Sec/Treas Sam Folio, NYC Local 802 President Tino Gagliardi, Recording Musi-cians President Marc Sazer and many others. A resolution passed, al-lowing the TMA Executive Board to designate honorary members. As a result, they designated recently retired AFM Director of the Travel and Touring Department Steve Gelfand to be an honorary TMA member. There was a variety of speakers at the conference, including John Har-ris, a federal mediator who described what he does and the services provided gratis. A well-taken point made was that union stewards are not always present on the job, but it’s important for them to be. Presi-dent Troia commented that Local 5 is in contact with federal mediators on all negotiations, though situations rarely arise in which the commit-tees meet them.

In his report, Mr Gelfand mentioned that there are currently 159 theater travelers, which comprise 53% of all theater musicians. There are 9 Pamphlet B shows out currently, 18 shows working under the AFM SET Agreement and 14 working under AFM Special Letters of Agree-ment. Mr Ayoub complained about Special Letters watering down the product. He also pointed to the lowering of orchestra pits, which gives more control to sound people, and less control to the musicians, of the overall sound – not to mention obscuring the fact that there actually are live musicians performing.

At the conference, various ideas were proffered to increase the vis-ibility of musicians, including having musician “baseball” cards. VP Cornelsen talked about previous conversations about having an easel in the theater lobby with photos and names of the musicians. He threw out the idea that there be slots in the card on the easel that allow the changing of names.

Finally, Mr Ayoub mentioned that there was not a lot of discussion

at the conference about the use of the conductor cam, though Mr Gel-fand indicated that he supported its use.

12:05pm Mr Ayoub left the meeting. The board returned to discussion about the Mid America conference.12:24pm Robert Conway joined the meeting.Sec/Treas Ayoub presented reports of Monthly Income, Cash Dis-

bursements and Comparative Fiscal Year-to-Date. On motion by Mr Lymperis, seconded by VP Cornelsen, to receive the reports, they were received unanimously.

Sec/Treas Ayoub presented the Payroll reports. On motion by Mr McKenzie, seconded by Mr Onachuk, to approve the reports, they were approved unanimously.

Sec/Treas Ayoub presented the Officers’ Expenses and Charge Cards reports. On motion by Mr Lymperis, seconded by VP Cornelsen, to approve the reports, they were approved unanimously.

Sec/Treas Ayoub presented a report of a New Member Applications from Jeremy Epp, Kevin Brown and Zara Rivera. On motion by Mr Onachuk, seconded by Mr Conway, to accept the applications, they were accepted unanimously.

Sec/Treas Ayoub presented a report of member reinstatements, resigna-tions, suspensions/expulsions and deaths, as well as a Local Census report.

The next meeting of the Executive Board will take place on Friday, December 19 at 11:00am.

President Troia mentioned that it was unlikely there would be much business in the union office on Friday, December 26, and asked the board’s permission to close the office on that day. The board agreed.

President Troia returned to the topic of publishing a list in the Key-note of the names of people who work under a collective bargaining agreement but choose not to join the union under the terms of Public Act 348 (known as Right-to-Work), thereby not contributing their fair share to the negotiating of contracts and representation of musicians who work under the cba. Local 5 Counsel Mami Kato has weighed in on this, saying it is legal to do so.

President Troia shared a thank you note from the family of Samuel Fanfalone for his attending the funeral.

12:51pm Meeting recessed. 1:18pm Ethan Allen, Bryan Kennedy, Haden McKay, Sharon Spar-

row and Robert Stiles – members of the DSO Orchestra Committee – joined the meeting.

Copies of the committee’s annual appropriations request were handed around. Once again, the members of the orchestra will pay their own ICSOM dues - a generous gesture on their part that is greatly appreciated by Local 5 Executive Board. Chair Haden McKay gave a recap of the previous year, reminding all present of management’s initial intention to settle negotiations early – something that is historically quite unusual for the DSO. Yet, it did happen – eight months before the


Coming next issue: A master class with Donald Baker



expiration of the at-that-time current contract. Mr McKay expressed his appreciation to the union for its part in the negotiations. Attor-ney Kevin Case worked well for the DSO musicians. The fact that he charged by the hour, as opposed to a flat fee, made the overall legal ex-penses quite reasonable. Mr Kennedy commented that President Troia was present throughout at all meetings.

Mr McKay moved on to say that morale in the orchestra is good with 23 new permanent members having been hired since the strike. It is truly a different orchestra now. All who joined after the strike are still here. Auditions are being held year round. The 10-year plan to raise $200,000,000 appears to be off to a slow start. However, the chair of the DSO Board chair is new and very focused. The ability to fundraise is the big question because the orchestra does not have a cash cushion.

At the moment, there are 75 current permanent musicians, including 2 librarians.

1:41pm The members of the DSO Orchestra Committee left the meeting.

On motion by VP Cornelsen, seconded by Mr Conway, to approve the appropriations request, it was approved unanimously.

1:44pm On motion by Mr Onachuk, seconded by Mr Lymperis, to adjourn the meeting, it was adjourned.

The regular monthly meeting of the Executive Board was called to or-der at 11:08am, President George Troia being in the chair, as well as Vice President Douglas Cornelsen and Secretary-Treasurer Susan Barna Ayoub being present. Also present were Executive Board Members Rob-ert Conway, Robert Lymperis, Alonza McKenzie and Paul Onachuk.

On motion by VP Cornelsen, seconded by Mr Onachuk, to approve the agenda, it was approved unanimously.

On motion by Mr Lymperis, seconded by Mr McKenzie, to approve the minutes of the previous meeting as presented, they were approved unanimously.

The next meeting of the Executive Board will take place on Tuesday, January 13 at 10:30am.

President Troia gave the following report:The new DSO contract is now at the printers.The MOT Contract has been printed and is in the possession of the

core orchestra musicians. Michigan Opera Theatre will split the cost of the printing with Local 5.

A letter of agreement has been signed with the American Arbitra-tion Association for the DFM 2015 election. The estimated cost will be $4,700.00. The 2015 Election Committee will be made up of Michael McGillivray – Chair, Ben Pruitt Sr and Pat Terry-Ross. The American Arbitration Association will administer the election. The schedule is as follows:• The Nominating Meeting will take place on Sunday, March 15,

2015 at 11:00 am.• Ballots will be mailed by AAA on April 30.• Ballots must be returned by US Mail by midnight May 15.• Ballots will be counted be AAA on May 16.• Swearing in will take place on Wednesday, May 20 at the Board

Meeting.

If a member wants to be nominated and cannot attend the meeting, s/he must have an authorized representative in attendance for the pur-pose of nominating the candidate, with proof of authorization written and signed by the member who wants to be nominated,

Dorethea Brown-Maxey, President of NABET Local 43 (a tenant in Local 5’s building), has reported a tentative settlement for a succes-sor agreement with Fox affiliate WJBK Channel 2, pending member ratification.

President Troia attended the funeral visitation for Bill Bonds, best known for his work at WXYZ-TV and with whom President Troia was acquainted.

Sec/Treas Ayoub presented reports of Monthly Income, Cash Dis-bursements and Comparative Fiscal Year-to-Date. The board discussed shopping commercial insurance for the building. On motion by Mr Lymperis, seconded by VP Cornelsen, to receive the reports, they were received unanimously.

Sec/Treas Ayoub presented the Payroll reports. On motion by Mr Conway, seconded by Mr McKenzie, to approve the reports, they were approved unanimously.

Sec/Treas Ayoub presented the Officers’ Expenses and Charge Cards reports. On motion by Mr Onachuk, seconded by Mr Lymperis, to approve the reports, they were approved unanimously.

Sec/Treas Ayoub presented a report of a New Member Applica-tions from Sean O’Connell, Marcus Miller, Andres Pichardo-Rosen-thal, Samuel Almaguer, Scott Strong, Kenneth Groesbeck and Matthew Balmer. On motion by Mr Conway, seconded by VP Cornelsen, to accept the applications, they were accepted unanimously.

Sec/Treas Ayoub presented a report of member reinstatements, res-ignations, suspensions/expulsions and deaths, as well as a Local Census report.

President Troia reported on a request from a tenant that his rent be lowered. After discussion by the board, the request was turned down.

Sec/Treas Ayoub reported on a member hardship request. On mo-tion by Mr Onachuk, seconded by VP Cornelsen, to honor the mem-ber’s request, it was approved unanimously.

President Troia and Sec/Treas Ayoub reported that a member of the union complained that members sometimes make inaccurate claims about their background – particularly whether or not a member can be self-described as Grammy-nominated – in the union’s email blasts and Facebook posts. The board discussed how to identify and ameliorate such situations.

President Troia handed around Christmas cards received from mem-bers, other local officers and vendors. He also mentioned that longtime LA Local 47 Vince Trombetta has retired and former LA Vice President John Acosta has been elected as his successor.

Mr Conway reported that he has asked President Troia and Sec/Tre-as Ayoub to consider speaking to the Performance Academy students at Wayne State University at the weekly presentations given by industry professionals. They agreed and will make contact with Local 5 Member Laura Leigh Roelofs, who is the Music Department Interim Associate Chair, Associate Professor of Violin and String Area Coordinator.

12:30pm On motion by VP Cornelsen, seconded by Mr McKenzie, to adjourn the meeting, it was adjourned.


The MusiC of GivinG

Would you like to help support music scholarships or a fellow member of Local 5 who is struggling with an emergency situation? Members can make tax-deductible donations to the Detroit Musicians Fund in two ways:

Monetary giftsSend by mail to Local 5 Headquarters or through www.detroitmusiciansfund.org. For more informa-tion, you may contact the fund either via email at [email protected] or call 248-569-5400, ext. 3.

Contributions in 4th Quarter, 2014A belated thanks to Sid Blair Sr. for his generous $50 donation to the DMF last summer! And our sincere thanks and appreciation to all those who helped out financially during the last quarter:

TOTAL = $425

The DMF received a $50 contribution from Mrs. Bet-

ty Jean Schelling in memory of her late husband, Carl

Schelling, a 32-year member who passed away in 1984.

Finally, Mrs. Anne-Marie Matchulat donated $50 as part

of regular ongoing donations in memory of her late

husband, Ernie Matchulat.

Ethan AllenEmanuel BalosCaroline CoadeDavid DanielsElias FriedenzohnLeo HarrisonBarbara HassanLinda HunterLaurence HuntingtonCarl KaroubLaurence Liberson

Larry MarroneGlenn MellowEugene PageFlo PaterniCharles PouporeBarbara RobinsonBeatriz StaplesGeorge Troia JrEdward WellsDerrick WilliamsBarbara Zmich

The orchestras and theaters listed below support the musi-cians of Local 5 through collective bargaining agreements.The groups and individual players likewise comply with the Local 5 policy by filing contracts, steward reports and work dues. Please support all of them in return.

OPERA AND THEATER PERFORMANCES

Mar. 7–28: Detroit Opera House, Frida; 800.982.2787; michiganopera.org

ORCHESTRAL & OTHER CLASSICAL ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCESMar. 12–15: Detroit Symphony, Mozart’s Clarinet

Concerto, featuring Ralph Skiano, clarinet; 313.576.5111; dso.org

Mar. 21: Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings, “If These Walls Could Sing,” featuring David Ammer, trumpet; 248.559.2095; detroitchamberwinds.org

Feb. 28: Livonia Symphony, “Tribute to Sibelius”; 734.451.2112; livoniasymphony.org

Mar. 8: Grosse Pointe Symphony, “Lucas/Saint-Saens/Wagner,” featuring Debra Fayroian, cello; 313.640.1773; gpsymphony.org

Mar. 15: Redford Civic Symphony, redfordsymphony.org

Mar. 1: Michigan Philharmonic, “Pipe Dreams”; 734.451.2112; michiganphil.org

Apr. 17: Dearborn Symphony, “Strauss/Tomasi/Amaya/Respighi,” featuring Kenneth Thompkins, trombone; 313.565.2424; dearbornsymphony.org

Local 5 Support Line

The Tax Man ComethApril 15 is fast approaching, and right now is the time to be getting your tax records in order. As you do so, keep in mind that membership and work dues paid to Local 5 and contributions to the Detroit Musicians Fund are all tax deductions.

Feel free to contact Local 5 if you would like an official record of your 2014 payments.


Hosea Taylor passed away on October 23, 2014 at the age of 81. He was born on April 30, 1933 and affiliated with Local 5 in 1981. A 24-year member, he played the saxo-phone, clarinet, flute, oboe, bassoon, piano and string bass.Mr Taylor played with the Apollo Theater Band in New York City, appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1963, and jammed with James Brown and Lloyd Price. He taught music at several schools in Michigan, Alabama, Florida, New York City, and retired in 2000 from the Detroit Pub-lic Schools. Among his former DPS students are Rodney Whitaker, MSU’s Director of Jazz Studies, and Ibrahim Jones, who credits Mr Taylor with inspiring him to switch from clarinet to bass.James Wyse died on December 24, 2014 at the age of 77. He was born on January 4, 1938 in Detroit and affiliated with Local 5 in 1961. An Assistant Wayne County Prosecu-tor for 25 years, he was also a 51-year member of Local 5 and played the clarinet and tenor sax.

Closing Chord bb

A Living WagePoem by Paul Felton, Executive Board Member,

American Postal Workers union, 480-481 Area Local Income inequalityHurts the whole economyEveryone’s income should beEnough to feed a familyDon’t say my job involves no skillThe salary should pay my billsAnd I work hard, please understandTo meet the customer’s demandWal-Mart, Popeye, Mickey DAnd the whole fast food industryDon’t treat workers like they shouldWhile their profits are more than good But if low wage workers uniteWe can begin to set things rightWe have to mobilize our powerTo fight for 15 bucks an hourIf we can win this we will aidEveryone who’s underpaidSo join us please, this is the wayTo bring about a better day

The Case of Your Missing Electronic Keynote

If your eKeynote goes to spam or you accidentally delete it, let us know. With the price of emailing being what it is, we’ll gladly send you another.

Detroit Federation of MusiciansMember Survey

To get listed in the Local 5 Intune database as a performer or teacher, you must submit your information. The easiest way, if you don’t do a profile at detroitmusicians.net, is to fill out the form below and email, snail-mail or fax it in.

Local 5 Member Survey(please print)

First/last name: ________________________________

Email address: __________________________________

Website: ______________________________________

What do you want known about you as a musician?

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

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What kinds of work might you be looking for?

Theater q Symphony q Club q Studio q Weddings q Parties q Receptions q

Other________________________________________

I give private lessons on the following instruments:

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Clip and mail or fax this survey to Local 5 at:Detroit Federation of Musicians20833 Southfield RoadSouthfield, MI 48075Fax: 248.569.1393Email: [email protected]

The Detroit Federation of Musicians respects your right to privacy and will not sell or otherwise distribute this information to any third party..