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Items related to the Arizona Opera Orchestra Musicians Association (AZOOMA) and musician-related topics of interest.
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Macro-Cleaning and a Microsite
Well, it has been a while since an AZOOMA blog has been posted. After the conclusion of our marathon contract negotiations, some well-deserved time off was needed. Whew! In the meantime, while we wait for a contract ratification vote next month, some...
A Compromising Position
After 17 long months of negotiations, AZOOMA has secured a long-term commitment through the 2011-2012 season. It is a three-year agreement with a side letter that includes two additional years of "right of first refusal." T...
Meet the Press
As the Arizona Opera season moves ahead and the musicians of the Opera Orchestra continue to work under "talk and play" terms, our publicity efforts are getting lots of attention. Orchestra management guru, Drew McManus has posted an online article a...
On the Road Again
The musicians of AZOOMA spend a lot of time in the car driving to rehearse and perform with the Arizona Opera. We live in one of three cities in Arizona - Phoenix, Flagstaff and Tucson - and being an Opera musician requires us to regularly travel to ...
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 th...
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.Please visit our main site ...
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 ne...
A YouTube Invitation
As a part of its outreach initiatives, AZOOMA has a new promotional video on YouTube. This video, produced in-house, is the first in a series that will further propagate the AZOOMA mission of promoting Arizona Opera and the Arizona Opera Orchestra. T...
Getting Dressed Up (and Spreading the Word)
Reaching out to our community with an outreach initiative. (January 24, 2008) - The Arizona Opera Orchestra Musicians Association (AZOOMA) began an Informational Outreach Initiative at the Arizona Opera "Gems" concert in Phoenix Symphony Hall in dow...
Getting Dressed Up (in Red!)
Arizona Opera Orchestra goes "red." In support of ongoing contract negotiations and as a demonstration of solidarity, orchestra members wore red shirts to the dress rehearsal for the upcoming Arizona Opera "Gems" concert. AZOOMA asked this of all orc...
High Hopes in "Play and Talk"
In 2000 a vital document between the Arizona Opera and American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Local 586 was adopted. Through "collective bargaining," we ratified a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), insuring a fair and acceptable work environment...
"Thank You, Next..."
It's not like American Idol, but there are similarities... The Arizona Opera recently announced auditions to fill vacancies. At one time or another each musician in the Arizona Opera Orchestra has had to pass a rigorous audition. Since these are pai...
Inconvenient Truths
Many people in the general public are honestly surprised that musicians get paid money to perform. Some even get downright insulted when musicians insist on getting paid to play. Holly Mulcahy at the Partial Observer recently posted an excellent arti...
Reflections
The AZOOMA.org site has been online for over two months now, and as is the tradition this time of year, a review -- of where we are, what has been accomplished and where we are going -- is due. Our Network In the article "The Expanding Universe of AZ...
A Clean Sweep and Our "Fine Flutist"
From AZOOMA WebMaster, Bruce Hembd: After reading an article on blogging written by the originator of the weblog, I have decided to do some housecleaning. Jorn Barger of Robot Wisdom coined the term "weblog" about 10 years ago to describe the daily ...
The X Factor
Within AZOOMA.org three words are presented as our slogan: Expression. Experience. Excellence. These words are the basic tenets behind AZOOMA, the Arizona Opera Orchestra Musicians Association. They are intertwined with our spirit and our mission. E...
State of the Arts
Until the 1960's Phoenix was mostly known for the state's "four C's" - copper, cattle, cotton, and climate. "Culture" was almost unheard of. Today in Arizona the scene is much different. The Valley's rapid growth spawns new art and culture venues a...
The Expanding Universe of AZOOMA.org
From Bruce Hembd, AZOOMA Webmaster To better fulfill our mission of spreading the word about AZOOMA and Arizona Opera, AZOOMA now maintains a variety of web accounts and spaces in the "Web 2.0" universe. The AZOOMA network currently includes: The ...
Promises and Commitments: The Tie That Binds Us Together - Part II
A Collective Bargaining Agreement makes everything possible. Contracts The current CBA between Arizona Opera and American Federation of Musicians Local 586 has a built-in term limit. When that term expires, the opera and the union have the opportuni...
Promises and Commitments: The Tie That Binds Us Together - Part III
A Collective Bargaining Agreement makes everything possible. Part-time Work/Full-time Commitment While an AZOOMA musician is technically a part-time employee, their commitment to the art and craft of music is full-time. Performing music is very simi...
Our New Web Site
AZOOMA makes its presence known. AZOOMA has a new web site designed to reach out to the general public and let everyone know who we are and what we do. The official URL is http://www.azooma.org/. Besides presenting entertaining, live music performed...
