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WHAT'S NEW at the Louisville Federation of Musicians

January 2012

Our annual Chili Cook-Off and Awards Night was held on Monday, January 30th from 6-9PM in the Local's Rehearsal Hall.  We had a great turn-out and many chili contestants.  This year 50-Year pins were awarded to members Patricia Brannon, Sam Harris and Pat McHugh.  25-Year members were Jackie Amend, Richard Sharpe, Nancy Staidle and Judy Wilson.  New Life Members are Darryel Cotten, Betsy Foshee, Clara Markham, June Kelley Roy and Greg Walker.  To qualify for Life membership (and reduced dues) one must have attained the age of 65 and have 35 years' continuous membership in the AFM, in this or another Local.  Our records do not always indicate if one of our members was previously in another Local, so please contact us if you think we might be unaware of your qualification.

 Chili Cook-Off winners were:  1st Place, Joe Lauletta; 2nd Place, Roger Taylor; and 3rd Place, Shelley Finke.  Our faithful photographer Duke Marsh took plenty of pictures.  We've published a few here, see Duke's Flickr site for many more.

Life Member Alfred Rauh, 89, died in his sleep at his his son Adam's (Pat) home on December 28, 2011.  He had been a member for 65 years. Alfred was born October 1, 1922 in Tell City, IN and the family moved to Louisville when he was seven. He was raised in St. Matthews and attended Male High School before graduating high school; he became a member of the Louisville Orchestra as music was his passion. While serving as a Merchant Marine in New York, Alfred became a founding member of the United Nations Orchestra and worked at IBM in Manhattan. He returned to Louisville in 1951, where he resumed his career in the orchestra and opera and landed a job as an accountant at the L&N Railroad with both jobs lasting 30 years. He also taught violin privately and at the Louisville Academy of Music. Alfred's Love for his wife Netty and family and his passion for music and gardening were unshakable, and he still played quartets with former Louisville Orchestra members until shortly before he died.

December 2011

Member Kim Tichenor is profiled in the Dec. 27 edition of the Courier-Journal, discussing her personal musical history and her recent efforts with the negotiations of the Louisville Orchestra management and its musicians.

Once again our members are contributing their time and talents to support the Red Cross Donorama Blood Drive on Dec. 28 and 29.  Performance schedules are listed on the Concert Schedule page.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS from the officers and staff of Local 11-637!

Dues statements for 2012 are being mailed to all members.  Your prompt remittance will help the Local weather this year's very difficult economic climate.  The Fourth Quarter newsletter will be distributed later this month.

At the November 29 General Membership Meeting, two proposals regarding changes to the mileage scales and the Symphony/Opera/Ballet scales were voted upon and passed by those present, to take effect January 1, 2012.  Look for details in the next newsletter.

Our next General Membership Meeting has been rescheduled for Tuesday , November 29 at 7:00PM in the Local's Rehearsal Hall.  Items for discussion include possible revisions to the mileage reimbursement scales.  As usual, there will be a brief social period before the meeting with refreshments.

October 2011

Member Dick Martin was recently presented a with check by President Spain for unpaid wages that were collected on his behalf by the Local.  The payment was for an engagement for the Pendulum Orchestra that had been cancelled by a club in violation of Dick's signed contract.  Members should keep in mind that obtaining a signed AFM contract for an engagement will always entitle them to the full support of the Local and its legal resources, should problems occur.

The Local mourns the loss of member Jesse "Jess" Carman, who died on August 27.  Jess was 87 and had been a member of the Local for 68 years.  Jess retired from Liberty National Bank, but his lifelong passion was his career as a drummer. He played with nationally known groups and at hundreds of different venues throughout the region, including playing for WHAS Radio. Most recently he played with the Mellotones. He also enjoyed his work as a volunteer Deputy with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department. He was a 50-year member of Kosair Shriners, and was a graduate of duPont Manual High School. He was preceded in death by his wife, Marcia. He is survived by his daughter, Anne; his beloved grandson, Chris; and his stepsister, Ann Swift, of Winchester.

The American Federation of Musicians (AFM) has placed the Louisville Orchestra on its “Unfair List,” following the orchestra’s emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy without a collective bargaining agreement. At an August 15 court hearing, Judge David Stosberg approved the orchestra’s reorganization plan, effectively bringing it out of bankruptcy. The AFM had opposed the plan, citing the fact that it is not viable without employed musicians.  Read more here.

In support of the Orchestra, the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians has passed two resolutions at their recent national conference:  Read them here.

 

Long-time member Tommy Walker, 87, passed away on Saturday, June 18.  Tommy had been a member of Local 637 since 1942 and was instrumental in merging the two Locals.  He also held office in the Local.  He played trombone and led a band for many years. He was a retired employee of the U.S. Army Map Service, a World War II Navy veteran, a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and the Elks Lodge. Survivors include two sons, Carl D. and Stacey Walker; a brother, Horace Walker; one grandchild; and two great-grandchildren.

April 2011

Member Vanley "Bud" Meredith, 92, passed away Friday, April 8 at his home in Leitchfield.  He had been a member of the Local since 1952.      He was a fiddle player, wallpaper hanger, painter, mason, member of St. Benedict Catholic Church, served in the Army during WW II,  and was a Kentucky Colonel.  He specialized in roots and bluegrass music and had released four recordings.  He had performed at Derby Dinner Playhouse (Honkytonk Angels) and was a frequent participant in the annual Derby musical greetings for visitors at Louisville International Airport.

A General Membership Meeting was held in the Local's Rehearsal Hall on March 28.  The new enhancement of providing pizza and refreshments after the meeting proved to be a welcome innovation and we had a good turnout and a pleasant evening.

In Memoriam:

Ernie "Babe" Giancola, 90, passed away Friday, March 25.  Ernie was an accomplished professional musician playing saxophone, clarinet and flute.  He had played for over seventy years, most recently with the Ovation Orchestra.  He was a Life Member of the Local and had been a member for seventy years.  He was also a well-known artist who retired from the Courier-Journal in 1986.  He was an Army veteran of World War II who served in Europe and in the Third Army Band.  He was also a Kentucky Colonel. He was preceded in death by his wife, Lillian Frances Giancola. He is survived by his children, Jerry E. Giancola, Claudette Smith (Mike), Vincent Giancola (Tammy) Anthony Giancola (Yvonne), Diane Giancola and Victor Giancola (Vanessa); eight grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

February 2011

Long-time member Daniel Anderson, 58, passed away on February 19.  Dan graduated from Eastern High School. He attended both the University of Louisville and Bellarmine University and received a bachelor's degree in accounting.  He was an active member of the Kosair Shrine and a Mason, and belonged to the Scottish Rite, York Rite and Okolona Lodge. Dan played keyboards and sang, both solo and as a frequent member of Bob Holt's group Prime Time.  He had been a member of the Local since 1994, and at one time was in charge of processing Music Performance Fund events.

January 2011

December 2010

HAPPY HOLIDAYS from Local 11-637!

Vice President Gary Falk, shown here at right with member Jon Topy at left, was successful in his long campaign to have a state historical marker placed to mark the site of Louisville's first building, Fort-On-Shore.  The marker was dedicated on November 19 at Rowan and 12th Streets in the Shippingport warehouse district just west of downtown.  The original building commemorated was completed in 1779. Besides his extensive musical interests, VP Falk is a local historian and author, and an active member of the Louisville Historical League.  His recently-published book Louisville Remembered describes many bygone Louisville structures and industries. Thanks to John Huffman, Sr. of the Sons of the American Revolution for this photograph.

November 2010

The musicians of the Louisville Orchestra maintain a website to provide members, musicians and concerned individuals with the latest information on the current orchestra situation.

The Local is updating our membership records to improve efficiency and serve you better.  Please email us, if you haven't recently, to advise us of your preferred contact information.

IMPORTANT!  DO YOU HAVE A WEBSITE?  DO YOU HAVE A BAND OR ENSEMBLE, OR A MUSIC-RELATED BUSINESS (teaching, instrument repair)?  We need your information for this website.  We advertise this site frequently and receive many inquiries from individuals and groups seeking to hire musicians.  Make sure your listing is available and current.  Please visit our BANDLIST and MEMBERS pages to verify that we have your listing correct.

October 2010

The Local mourns the loss of our long-time member Ben Ingram, 79, on Wednesday, October 13.  Ben was a bass player and a veteran, and had been a member for 36 years.  He was also a member of Local 802 in New York.

September 2010

On September 3 the Louisville Orchestra celebrated the opening of the 2010-2011 season with its annual Fanfara.   Read Andrew Adler's review in the Courier-Journal.

New Office Manager Our previous office manager, Jeanette Kays, has moved on to focus more on her music performance.  She has been succeeded in the job by her daughter Teri Vinson, whose previous background has been in graphic design.  But Teri is no stranger to our musical community, having grown up the daughter of a jazz singer and having many other professional musicians in her family.

August 2010

On August 2, Louisville musicians gathered at the Comedy Caravan to remember long-time local jazz bassist Jack Brengle, who died on June 29 of this year.

July 2010

Vice President Gary Falk, left in picture, recently visited long-time member Tommy Walker at his residence in Brownsboro Hills.  Many members may remember Tommy, a trombonist, as a former board member of the Local, and long-time leader of the Tommy Walker Band.

June 2010

April 2010

On April 18 our long-time member Rubin Sher was inducted into the Manual High School Hall of Fame, in recognition of the years he spent developing Manual's band and orchestra program. At right, Alumni Director Mike McDaniel presents Rubin with his plaque.

March 2010  

February 2010

We are in the final stages of compiling your information for a new printed membership directory.  But please remember that the latest current member information can always be found online here in our Members-Only section.

January 2010

Our Annual Chili Supper and Awards Night took place Monday, January 25 in the Local's Rehearsal Hall.  Our faithful photographer Duke Marsh was awarded his 50-Year pin.  Those recognized for 25 years of membership are:  Rocky Adcock, Jerry Carlon, Miles Davis, Susanna Onwood and Katie Whiteside.  New Life Members are Ken Albrecht, Jerry Amend, Mark Atcher and Louise Harris.

The evening's other focus was the judging of chili.  Our Celebrity Chili Judge, local media personality Reed Yadon, awarded First Place to Jeanette Kays, Second Place to Dorissa Falk, and Third to Joe Lauletta.

Some pix are available here.  More pictures are available on Duke's Flickr site.

Don't forget:  2010 annual dues are due by the end of the month. 

December 2009

November 2009

In Memoriam Jerry Sharp Jerry (seen at right accepting his 50-year membership pin from President Joe Spain in 2004) passed away November 30, 2009. He was a long-time employee and former plant manager for the Fabri-Form Co. of Pekin, Indiana and an active member of our Local since 1954. Jerry sang and played piano for decades throughout Kentucky and Southern Indiana. He was an honorary member of the Kosair Temple, an Honorary Captain of the Belle of Louisville, a Kentucky Colonel and was honored by the Kosair and Knights of Columbus for his work with their respective charity programs. Jerry is survived by his wife Frances, daughter Rhonda Grangier and son Rex Sharp.

October 2009

Results of the Local's recent election of officers are now available on the Members-Only section.

Third-Quarter newsletters have been mailed and should have reached you by now.  The newsletters are also available on the Members-Only section of this site.  Also available is Vice President Gary Falk's report on this year's Southern Conference of Locals.

September 2009 

IN MEMORIAM Frank Wagner, 78, passed away Sunday, Sept. 27 in Owensboro. Frank, a member of the Local for 47 years, was a talented jazz pianist, a retired homebuilder and real estate developer. He was a longtime member, past president and Paul Harris Fellow recipient of the Owensboro Rotary Club with 36 years of perfect attendance. He was also past president of the Owensboro Board of Realtors and a past president of the Home Builders Association of KY, and was inducted into the Kentucky Housing Hall of Fame in 2004.

Election of the Local's Officers and Executive Board will take place this month.  Ballots with candidate information and voting instruction were mailed September 22.  Please be sure to return your ballots by the due date.  Only those members currently in good standing will be eligible to vote.

August 2009

The Local held a Nomination Meeting at 7:00PM Monday, August 17 in the Rehearsal Hall to nominate candidates for the election of officers to be held later this fall. 

July 2009

The Lexington Philharmonic is holding auditions for several positions.  Learn more here.

The Louisville Metro Council has voted to retain the Community Music Partnership for Fiscal Year 2009-2010 at its current level, $30,000.  The motion passed on a vote of 23-0 with three members absent.  This once again secures the benefit of live music for neighborhood block parties, arts and crafts fairs, seniors' events and many other public functions throughout the metro area.

June 2009

At the General Membership Meeting held on Monday, June 22 some revisions to our bylaws were voted in regarding procedures for negotiating collective bargaining agreements.  The new language can be found in Article VIII, Section 6.  A pdf copy of the bylaws is available in the Members-Only section of this site.

May 2009

On May 29 we lost our long-time friend Tom Jolly.  Read his obituary and a tribute here.

April 2009

Life Member Walter Malzahn, 81, passed away  April 2.  After two stints in the Navy, he attended the Midwestern Conservatory of Music in Chicago, IL and the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, IL. He traveled as a trombonist with many of the name bands of the 1950's and 1960's.  In Las Vegas, NV he was a regular in the house band at the Stardust. He worked in Disneyland for many years, both as a member of the band and as an animatrician and a sound and light specialist. His longest active AFM membership lasted 53 years, with Local 47 in Los Angeles. After moving to Louisville in 1993, he played often with several of the local Big Bands, primarily in John Roy's Ovation Orchestra and David Mehl's Swing Street Big Band. He also played regularly for the Sunday morning worship service at Walnut Street Baptist Church and was a member of the jazz ensembles at the University of Louisville.

March 2009

Our Members-Only Site is now available, featuring an up-to-date listing of members by name or by instrument, copies of local contract forms, and other useful information.  Please click here for information on how to obtain access.

February 2009

The membership meeting called on February 16 did not draw enough attendance to constitute a quorum, so no official business was transacted.  Our accountant David Smith held a brief question-and-answer session about this year's tax laws.

January 2009

Our annual Chili Supper and Awards Night was held January 26.  Our 50-Year member, Wayne Young, also holds the distinction of simultaneously earning the status of Life Member.  Those recognized for 25 years of membership are:  Robin Chappars, Wendy Doyle, Joanna Goldstein, Jane Halliday, Nancy Harris, Melinda Odle, Michael Schroeder, Mark Tate and Ernie Threlkeld.

The evening's other focus was the judging of chili, and we had six entries this year, besides the "house" chili prepared by President Joe Spain and vegetarian chili from Virginia Taylor.  Our Chili Judge Tom Sobel of the Comedy Caravan awarded First Place to Shelley Finke, Second Place to Doug Finke, and Third to Charlie Niehoff.  See photos here.

Annual dues are due by January 31.  There was no dues increase for 2009.  Regular dues are still $134 for the year, Life Member dues are $79.72, and Inactive Life dues are $69.72.  Dues may be paid annually or semi-annually, but please remember to add your $10.00 life insurance premium copayment to your first payment for the year.  Youth and Student members may continue to pay $31 quarterly if desired. 

December 2008

October 2008

IN MEMORIAM

C. Paul Waggoner, 83, of Pekin, Indiana passed away October 14 after a long illness.  Paul was an excellent educator and served as band director at Silver Creek High School in Sellersburg, IN for many years, cultivating a love of instrumental music in his students.  He had been a member of this Local for 40 years, played trumpet, bass and keyboards, and was an arranger.  Cremation was chosen.  A graveside memorial service will be held at a later date.

The Local mourns the passing of trumpeter Gary Stonecipher, 74, a Life Member who had been with us 54 years.  Gary was a graduate of the U of L School of Music, part-owner of Gittli-Stonecipher Piano and employed by Henderson Music.  In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to the American Cancer Society, The Crusade for Children, or MERF.

September 2008

September brings some changes to the Local.  Office Manager Virginia Taylor has retired after ten years in the position, but will continue to maintain the website. 

May 2008

Memorial Day and the start of the summer concert season is fast approaching.  Although we are anticipating some reduction in co-sponsorship funding from the Music Performance Fund, so far  we have been able to secure funding for most of our events.  Check the Concert Schedule page for upcoming events.

April 2008

We have recently held our initial meeting with the Louisville Regional Airport Authority and are pleased to say that there will be musicians at the airport to continue our long-standing tradition of playing to welcome Derby guests to our city. 

March 2008

Saxophonist Mel Owen, who led the Crusade for Children Orchestra for 25 years (1968-1992), died Wednesday, March 12.  Mel was 78 and had been a member of the Local for 60 years.  His other musical accomplishments included 9 years with the Glenn Miller Air Force Dance Band, later known as the Airmen of Note.  He was one of the founders of Hi Varieties and opened the Mel Owen music store in 1972.  Expressions of symphony to the Crusade.

February 2008

We were all saddened to hear of the death of member Paul Johnson, 87, on February 19 at his home.  Paul had been a member for 49 years, and was a familiar presence with the Rascals of Ragtyme, the Dixieland Doodlers and many other groups through the years.  Paul was preceded in death by his wife Elsie, with whom he celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in February 2007.

January 2008

Our annual Chili Supper and Awards Night was held Monday, January 28, 2008.  A 50-Year Pin was earned by Rubin Sher, and 25-Year Pins went to Shelley Chapman, Keith Cook and Charlie Niehoff.  See some snapshots here.

Death Announcements:  The Local has recently learned that long-time Life Member Roy Hare of Jeffersonville passed away on September 16 of last year after a brief illness.  Roy was 83 and played guitar and violin.  He had been a member for 54 years.   

Life Member Paul Swain, who had recently returned to the Louisville area after spending much of his professional life in New York City, died on January 5 of this year at the age of 96.  A memorial celebration will be held on April 5 at 2:00PM at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 2233 Woodbourne Ave.

December 2007

HAPPY HOLIDAYS May the joyful music of the season stay with you throughout the coming year. THE LOUISVILLE FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS Local 11-637, AFM President: Joseph P. Spain Vice President: Gary Falk Board Members: Steve Causey, Trevor Johnson, Greg Walker Office Manager: Virginia Taylor

November 2007

There was a General Membership Meeting at 7:00 PM Monday, November 26, in the Local's Rehearsal Hall, for the purpose of reevaluating our wage scales.  The Wage Scale Committee's recommendations were presented to the membership and approved unanimously by secret ballot of those present.  Specific information will be mailed to members in the next newsletter.

Virginia Kershner Schneider, 92, violist, passed away Sunday, November 4.  She had been a member of the Louisville Orchestra for 54 years, retiring in 1999.  She had also taught at U of L and introduced the Suzuki instruction method to Louisville.  At left, she is shown being awarded the Local's Musician of the Year Award for 1985.