Supporting Arizona Opera’s Future

The Arizona Opera Orchestra Musicians Association (AZOOMA) has a proactive interest in the future of Arizona Opera.

As a part of our ongoing activity to support the company outside of the orchestra pit, AZOOMA’s programs and initiatives are an excellent illustration of our vested interest.

Outreach programs

Spearheaded by the Outreach and Education Committee, AZOOMA’s outreach programs coincide with Arizona Opera’s annual season.

The concert outreach programs have been presented – voluntarily -  in both Tucson and Phoenix. The orchestra musicians participate in all of these initiatives on their own time and at their own expense.

• AZOOMA and Arizona Opera Chorus have collaborated on Backstage at the Opera for two years and have helped raise thousands of dollars for the company.

• AZOOMA has produced a series of Out of the Pit concerts in various venues: to engage new and current audience members, to provide publicity and goodwill for the company and to raise money for charities such as the American Cancer Society.

• AZOOMA is a member of Alliance for Audience, a list of major cultural organizations in Arizona.

• AZOOMA has promoted Arizona Opera and its productions through: its web site at AZOOMA.org, a Facebook page with over 500 fans, YouTube and Vimeo videos, Café Press merchandise, with additional promotions on MySpace and ShowUp.com.

• Its members have regularly participated in Arizona Opera’s Talk Back program – a post-concert audience discussion panel.

• AZOOMA coordinated a Take a Friend to the Opera initiative for Arizona Opera’s Barber of Seville. A large group of community members were invited to a dress rehearsal and were given a personalized, backstage tour.

Conditions, freezes and cuts

AZOOMA musicians have performed with an expired contract under extended “play and talk” conditions, have accepted wage freezes and have accepted rehearsal and concert cutbacks – for four years in a row. These conditions, freezes and cutbacks have all been accepted as temporary subsidies in order to support the company through difficult times.

A related condition is the overall service count – the total number of rehearsals and concerts. Since 2006 this too has also been cut, from 64 to 48 services. For each musician this has amounted to a 25% drop in annual salary.

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Strong support of Arizona Opera and its future

AZOOMA’s long-term vision is to help the Arizona Opera thrive and grow, and to deepen its commitment to the arts in Arizona.

Acting on this vision, the musicians of the Arizona Opera Orchestra have invested themselves significantly in Arizona Opera, its financial stability and its artistic future.

For more information, please investigate the links within this article.