Musician’s Strike
Dear CS: I am very upset to find out that the American singer’s union, AGMA, has no help to offer singers when a strike is threatened by the orchestra. I took this job on good faith, and spent quite a bit of money on housing, car, and food. To find out after weeks of work that I may be sent home with nothing—not even reimbursement for my living expenses—is very upsetting. I understand that in the case of a strike, the orchestra would still be paid through a union fund, while the soloists would get nothing. AGMA takes annual dues, plus 2 percent of everything I earn, and yet I am not protected at all. As far as I can tell, I get no benefits from paying this money. —Name Withheld
Thank you for your letter, and for passing on the AGMA letter you were given. There have been several threatened orchestra strikes lately. We at CS support mediation, not strikes. We will research the problem of protecting singers in a strike, and address it in a full article as soon as possible. Singers need more protection, and they certainly need to know what their rights are. —Editor
When Is a Manager Not a Manager?
Dear CS: I came across a letter to the editor [March 1997] from a singer who had a bad experience with an agent in the Bay Area. Not only was she paying a large monthly fee, she was paying exorbitant commissions, with much negative feedback from companies about the agent. I know exactly who this agent is, because I had the same agent. The terms of her contract were couched in fuzzy language, and what originally seemed to be a small monthly fee actually came out to more than $300 per month. Although I only had a couple of auditions during the time I was on the roster, some months I paid $40 phone bills and very large postage fees. Because singers tend not to communicate freely between each other, and because they are often so desperate to be on any roster, singers sign up with this agent, later to cancel the contract several thousand dollars poorer. Isn’t there an ethics committee or a bureau that polices managers? There are many singers in the Bay Area who have fallen victim to this agent. It would be great if you all wrote to Classical Singer, and shared your experiences to alert the next generation of singers who might be inclined to sign on that expensive dotted line. —Name Withheld
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. Bad management is much worse than no management. Management: The Book was written to provide a resource for singers, to see if a manager is getting work for the roster—the real test of a manager. All the questions you asked are answered in the book. Currently, there is no entity policing managers, teachers, training programs or anything else. AGMA only helps current members, and only in dealings with companies/managers with AGMA agreements. However, AGMA has lost track of which managers have signed these agreements. Unfortunately, your only tool outside of litigation is communication—exactly what you are doing here. —Editor
Local Singer Info and Support Groups
Dear CS: A subset of the Internet mailing list Vocalist (www.vocalist.org) is especially for San Francisco Bay area residents. It is called BAVocalist, and is used to pass around local news and offerings. In the last two months or so, there have been posted a local opera company audition notice, a choir director vacancy notice, and tickets for sale to a San Francisco Opera performance. Also, a gathering of singers was arranged at Opera At The Park, where some of the details for a regional concert of people on the list were worked out. To subscribe, go to www.vocalist.org and subscribe. It takes a couple of days, and no money is involved. Just subscribe and introduce yourself. Be sure to include your general location. If you live in a different area with an active subgroup, they too will snap you up! —Tom LaFlesh
Building relationships and supporting you with information is why we started the forum, and why we try to help your opinions and concerns become public. But there is no substitute for local information. Whenever we find local, non-profit , non-commercial groups run by altruistic singers, we like to let you know about them. Thanks to Tom, BAVocalist, and Marko Hotti, who runs Vocalist, for being good for classical singers. —Editor
Singers’ Cities
Dear CS: Thank you, thank you, thank you for your article, “City by the Bay.” What a fabulous idea! Would love to see the same info on Chicago, Washington, Houston, Dallas, etc. —Sandra Van Cleve
As a matter of fact, Chicago is next. Any singers wishing to contribute, please write to Emily Brunson at ebrunson@classicalsinger.com. —Editor
Building the Job Market
Dear CS: You had asked for singers to go into schools to build the art form. During my time at the NY Institute of Technology, I worked with Professor Jane Nieves-Micas, professor of 19th-century art history. One day I told her that I was taking voice lessons and learning opera. She asked if I would like to sing at the next Student Fine Arts Show. I did, and it has now become a tradition to introduce this wonderful art form to new students. —Frances E. Fascetti
