A new YouTube video, "Join Us," promotes our Audience Association outreach.
Continue reading "Promoting the Audience Association"
All the World's a Stage
All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players...
William Shakespeare - from "As You Like It"
AZOOMA is openly soliciting our patrons to become involved in supporting the orchestra as members of an AUDIENCE ASSOCIATION.
We are currently in contract negotiations. These negotiations are important in determining the future of the orchestra.
If you are interested in participating now, please contact us.
We need your help.
The Opera Orchestra’s negotiating committee has agreed to no pay increase for two years, and to subsidize the Opera in the face of rising gasoline prices during their long drives to Tucson and Phoenix.
These are huge concessions.
- No pay increase for two years.
- A two-year freeze of our mileage reimbursement rate of thirty cents per mile - far below the IRS rate of 48.5 cents per mile.
Recent news reports cite that gas prices may be as high as $3.75 (maybe even $4.00) per gallon by the summer of 2008.
The Opera’s latest proposal requires us to abandon the protection of any substantive labor action when the contract is reopened for negotiations in the third year.
We have not yet come to agreement on wages for the third year.
For more information, please visit our Audience Association page on our main web site.
Continue reading "All the World's a Stage"
Tentative Deal
From the Arizona Daily Star:
The Arizona Opera Orchestra narrowly averted a strike that could have disrupted this weekend’s run of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.” The orchestra and opera management struck a tentative deal late Monday afternoon that addresses one of the musicians’ biggest concerns: job security.
The musicians have been lobbying for a contract that guarantees their employment beyond the three-year window of the deal. Management met them halfway, guaranteeing the musicians a three-year contract with a two-year right of refusal.
Continue reading "Tentative Deal"
Press Gets Wind of Our Plight
Media throughout Arizona has gotten wind of troubles at the Opera. The Arizona Daily Star has published an article that goes into detail.
From the Arizona Daily Star:
Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” won’t be so magical if the Arizona Opera Orchestra goes on strike. That’s the veiled threat the musicians made in an email sent Sunday afternoon to news agencies throughout the state, including the Arizona Daily Star.
According to the email from the Arizona Opera Orchestra Musicians Association , the nearly year-old contract talks between the musicians and opera management disintegrated Sunday.
Opera General Manager Debra Harrison “swept away basic guarantees to the musicians that endanger the opening of the opera’s ‘The Magic Flute’ in Tucson on March 1 and its opening in Phoenix March 6,” according to the email.
Continue reading "Press Gets Wind of Our Plight"
A Brave New World
Since its launch last November, AZOOMA.org has generated a wave of support and interest in both Arizona Opera and the Arizona Opera Orchestra. As a part of its three-pronged mission, AZOOMA aims to reach out to the community and spread the word, both locally in Arizona and nationally across America.
Towards this aim, we continue to explore the many excellent avenues available on the Internet. Since many online services are free (!) the only real expense is time and energy. While still a valuable outlet, the once dominant power of "traditional media" - where television spots and newspaper articles were the sole sources of information and outreach - are behind us.
Welcome to the "new media."
In the beginning..
AZOOMA's venture began with a main web site, has branched out to this blog, which then lead to several popular social networking sites and lately, to YouTube videos.
A decade ago, this kind of thing would have been unheard of, but these days as more and more people of all ages gain access to high-speed Internet connections, the Internet has become a powerful tool for effective public outreach - especially for musician organizations like AZOOMA.
In a short time AZOOMA has managed to rise from being nearly anonymous, to establishing itself as a widely-known, branded organization.
Since November, the main AZOOMA site has reached hundreds, if not thousands, of unique visitors. And because of its deep content, they often return to learn more - a small example of "brand loyalty."
The average amount of time that a visitor stayed in November was about 2-3 minutes and they looked at an average of about 4 pages. Today, these averages are much higher and continue to climb. The average visitor stays about 8-9 minutes, and looks at about 11-13 pages.
Visitor traffic tends to fluctuate depending on what is happening locally with the Arizona Opera.
The actual numbers range from about 150 unique visitors per day to about 20 unique visitors - a general average of 30 to 40 unique visitors every day. While these numbers may not seem like much for an EBay or CNN.com, for the specialized focus of a regional opera orchestra reaching out to the 5th largest community in the U.S., these numbers are very encouraging and are quite good.
The AZOOMA blog shows equal strength in both its content and in its number of visitors. A wide range of topical postings has attracted a small, but loyal band of regular visitors who check in often to see what AZOOMA has to offer.
Web 2.0 Networks
Our social networking sites - especially MySpace - began as an experiment and has blossomed into an excellent tool for reaching new audiences. For example, upon posting the latest video, "Now is the Time," a new MySpace friend took the initiative and posted a video bulletin to all her friends in support of AZOOMA.
The latest outreach - and most adventurous - has been a series of promotional videos posted on YouTube. Resembling television infomercials, they have made a tremendous impact. The combination of music, video, animation and voice-overs allows AZOOMA to effectively communicate a strong message in a very precise and memorable way.
With the last two videos, "At the Opera" and "Now is the Time," the focus has shifted from general AZOOMA information to our collective bargaining negotiations.
Welcome to the 21st Century
Musician organizations no longer need to remain silent, anonymous or afraid to make their positions known and heard. The Internet "levels the playing field" and provides exciting, new opportunities unheard of in the previous century.
For musician organizations like AZOOMA, it is indeed a "brave, new world."
Continue reading "A Brave New World"
Now is the Time
A new YouTube video gets closer to the heart of the matter regarding our current contract negotiations:
Continue reading "Now is the Time"
Michael Sullivan Tribute
Dr. Michael Sullivan served as second clarinet in the Opera Orchestra for several years. We were very saddened at his passing last July from an unexpected and sudden bout of cancer.
The faculty of Northern Arizona University has announced a special Tribute Concert to Michael Sullivan that will be happening on Thursday, March 13, 2008 in Ardrey Auditorium at 7:30 PM on the campus of Northern Arizona University.
It will be a program full of performances by the NAU Faculty, videos/pictures of Michael and even a choreographed work with one of Michael's recordings accompanying the dancers. This is truly going to be a heartfelt event celebrating the life of our friend and colleague.
A note to all NAU Clarinet Alums, Jeremy Reynolds, the Visiting Professor of Clarinet for this school year, has arranged a couple movements from Bach "St. John's Passion" for Clarinet Choir. All of Michael's former students are invited to participate on stage for a performance. If you are able to attend and need more information about the Clarinet Choir, please contact Jeremy Reynolds at "jeremywreynolds@hotmail.com"
Continue reading "Michael Sullivan Tribute"
At the Opera - A New Video
The Arizona Opera and the Opera musicians are currently in contract negotiations.
A 4th YouTube video in a series presented by the Arizona Opera Orchestra Musicians Association (AZOOMA) has been posted on YouTube to propagate this message. It makes a step forward towards being a bit more direct in our public message.
Continue reading "At the Opera - A New Video"
A Theory of Relativity
AZOOMA has a strong and vested interest in Arizona Opera and its future. Our talented and highly-skilled orchestra is an essential contribution to the high-quality productions of Arizona Opera. We are stakeholders invested in performing some of the greatest music ever written.
AZOOMA is working very hard with Opera management to gain long-term commitments and satisfactory employment terms. We are also exploring creative ways to support the Opera.
Through collective bargaining, Arizona Opera and AZOOMA are currently negotiating a master contract (a Collective Bargaining Agreement) that is the foundation for our working relationship.
Among the issues being negotiated are the "services."
The current wages for the Arizona Opera Orchestra fall below the national average. Other opera orchestras pay musicians much higher wages compared to their respective cities’ cost of living indexes for a comparable 3-hour service.
Recent advertisements in the trade newspaper The International Musician illustrate this point. An Arizona Opera advertisement on page 34 announcing orchestra vacancies lists our per-service rate as $98.95.
In the same paper, on page 30, an audition announcement for the Michigan Opera Theatre (MOT) lists the rates as: $137. 18 for a rehearsal, $148.60 for a dress rehearsal and $182.32 for a performance. (This is actually a higher amount than listed in the table above.)
MOT is a company of comparable size and in a city of comparable size (Detroit). Their musicians earn substantially more than an Arizona Opera Orchestra musician.
Another point in our wage negotiations is the number of services and musicians used for each production. Within the past few years, Arizona Opera has cut performances from the Tucson cycle. Some music scores which list a reduced orchestration as a cost-cutting option are being chosen by the Opera to engage fewer musicians to perform.
In 2007 performances of Carlisle Floyd's Susannah for example, this "reduced" option cut the normal orchestra size from about 50 to about 35. Two horns instead of four, no tuba, and two trumpets instead of three as examples.
Over the past fews years, productions like The Three Penny Opera, Sweeney Todd, Handel's Semele, and aria concerts were produced with a smaller number of musicians and/or fewer rehearsals.
While our average service rate has gradually increased over the past few years, our average service count has decreased. While our current wages are frozen under the current "talk and play" situation, and both services and musicians are being cut from Opera productions, these issues (among others) remain on the discussion table.
Continue reading "A Theory of Relativity"
AZOOMA TV Strikes Again!
A new video has been posted on our YouTube Channel, AZOOMA TV.
It spells out some basic facts about our organization and its mission.
Continue reading "AZOOMA TV Strikes Again!"
Phoenix to Open Instrument Museum
An article in the New York Times reports that in 2010, Phoenix will have a new museum devoted to world music instruments.
Robert J. Ulrich, the chairman and chief executive of Target Corporation, is donating millions of dollars to establish the Musical Instrument Museum, which he says will be the country’s only free-standing museum devoted to instruments of world cultures. The total cost is estimated at $125 million.
It will focus on indigenous and popular instruments from nearly every country in the world. The two-story museum will have 180,000 square feet, with 75,000 square feet of exhibition space. It will include an auditorium, a conservation laboratory open for viewing, a recording studio and galleries where visitors can see and hear instruments being played on video.
Musicians will occasionally perform, and museumgoers will even have an opportunity to try some of the instruments.
The funding behind this new museum breaks with the usual trend of altruistic donations given to building a fancy new orchestra hall, financing an opera season or helping to support the ballet.
Mr. Ulrich said the museum would be based in Phoenix because of the city’s rapid growth, the large number of tourists it receives and its proximity to draws like Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.
Resource:
Continue reading "Phoenix to Open Instrument Museum"
AZOOMA TV
The Arizona Opera Musicians Association (AZOOMA) has another YouTube video. It focuses on the new "How to Help" area of the AZOOMA web site. It is also displayed on the "How to Help" page itself.
This video is a part of our AZOOMA Tube Channel. A new custom player - called AZOOMA TV - dynamically displays all videos in all our spaces at once, including our MySpace and Facebook accounts, this blog, and our "About Us" page.
As new videos are added over time in YouTube, they will be automatically broadcast in AZOOMA TV.
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