Unity is Power: Join ROPA
The Regional Orchestra Players’ Association (ROPA) promotes the interests of its member orchestras and their musicians. As an official Conference of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM), it acts to enhance communications among orchestras, with the AFM and its Locals, and with other conferences.
As a representative organization, ROPA pursues other activities to benefit to the general welfare and artistic well being of its members.
- Membership in ROPA gives access to valuable communication resources and effective organizing tools that enable musicians to deal successfully with their managements and boards.
- Membership in ROPA builds solidarity on both a local and national level with strong programs and support to protect jobs and sustain fair working conditions among union musicians.
- Above all, membership in ROPA means working with colleagues who share the same goals and aspirations for the welfare of our art and our profession.
Benefits of ROPA membership:
- Support from the National ROPA organization. Delegates from member orchestras help keep all ROPA orchestras up-to-date
- Networking: Share information, ask questions and seek resources with musicians from other orchestras via E-mail lists and Facebook (read more)
- The ROPA Annual Conference (read more)
- Associate membership does not include access to the Emergency Relief Fund or voting privileges.
- Associate members receive all bulletins, are listed in the AFM Wage Scale Chart, and receive a limited number of ROPA’S publication, The Leading Tone.
In order to join ROPA, your orchestra must:
- Have a collective bargaining agreement between orchestra management and an AFM Local, and
- Vote by secret ballot to join ROPA, and to adopt and abide by the ROPA Bylaws.
Membership Dues and Conference Expenses
- Full Member orchestras pay annual dues of $700 (plus $100 to the Emergency Relief Fund)
- Associate Member orchestras pay annual dues of $220.
- Conference Expenses: The AFM bylaws provide that the AFM Local is responsible for covering a Delegate’s conference expenses.
Download and distribute a brochure
To help rally support, please download the ROPA Brochure, make copies (double-sided) and distribute it to your orchestra. You can download the brochure from the right panel, under Documents, or click here. Please share it and help spread the word about ROPA to your orchestra!
Contact the Vice-President
Please get in touch with the ROPA Vice-President Amanda Swain to apply for membership.
The ROPA Vice-President:
- Assists prospective member orchestras with membership information
- Processes all ROPA membership applications
- Makes official announcement of new ROPA member orchestras
- Sets up three or four MAL calls per year, and assists with calls, if necessary