Stephanie O’Keefe has been elected president of the American Federation of Musicians Native 47, changing into the primary girl president within the union’s 123-year historical past. John Acosta, who served three two-year phrases as president, didn’t search re-election. Within the native’s different elections, Danita Ng-Poss has been elected secretary-treasurer – the primary individual of Asian descent to function a titled officer of the union – and Rick Baptist has been re-elected to a fourth time period as vp.
“I’m honored to be elected president of Native 47,” mentioned O’Keefe, knowledgeable French hornist. “It has been a objective of mine for a lot of, a few years to be an advocate for my fellow musicians. We’re the producers of some of the precious commodities on Earth; music has been an integral a part of each tradition, in each a part of the world, for 1000’s of years. But, by some means, the producers of this commodity are sometimes undervalued, if not utterly neglected. My objective is to convey recognition to the music makers, and dignity to our career.”
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O’Keefe started her profession within the showrooms of Las Vegas in 1977, relocating to Los Angeles a decade later. She has carried out and recorded with a wide range of artists together with Girl Gaga, Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra, Daft Punk, Dolly Parton, Diana Krall, Barry Manilow and Herbie Hancock.
She’s additionally recorded scores for quite a few movies, tv exhibits, commercials and video video games. As an advocate for musicians, she created the attention marketing campaign Actual Music Comes From Musicians in 2006. She has served on the Native 47 legislative committee and on quite a few negotiating committees, together with in 2005 the creation of the primary AFM contract for a beforehand non-union orchestra. She additionally serves on the advisory board of the American Jazz Institute; the music college of Occidental Faculty; as a trustee for the Musicians Well being & Welfare Fund, and in 2019 designed and carried out a extremely acclaimed mentoring program, a joint undertaking of Native 47 and the Inglewood College District.
Born and raised in Malaysia, Ng-Poss’ household offered their dwelling in order that she might journey to the U.S. and research on the Berklee Faculty of Music. Since arriving in Los Angeles over 15 years in the past, she has supervised music preparation on a number of Oscar and Emmy ceremonies. She has additionally offered music preparation for quite a few different initiatives, together with many seasons of Dancing With the Stars and America’s Obtained Expertise, in addition to stay live shows, video video games, and albums for main recording artists together with Ariana Grande, Michael Bublé, and Sara Bareilles. Ng-Poss has additionally been energetic in union organizing efforts, comparable to AFM’s extensively publicized #BandTogether marketing campaign in 2019, during which musicians from throughout the U.S. known as upon the foremost movie and TV studios to signal a good contract for musicians.
“The primary order of enterprise is to make sure the Secretary/Treasurer’s workplace runs like a well-oiled machine,” Ng-Poss mentioned. “My objective is to convey Native 47 to an up to date digital age to maintain up with the twenty first century.”
Baptist, in the meantime, joined the AFM at age 12, when he started taking part in the trumpet professionally. After transferring to Los Angeles in 1980, he carried out on greater than 1,300 movement image scores, together with the primary 14 Pixar movies, and on over 5,000 cartoon exhibits. He served as first trumpet on the Academy Awards for 30 years, the Emmys for practically three a long time, and carried out and recorded with legendary artists together with Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Josh Groban, Michael Bublé, Linda Ronstadt and Barry Manilow.
Throughout his tenure as vp, he expanded the union’s training and outreach program, spearheaded the relocation from Hollywood to Native 47’s present state-of-the-art facility in Burbank, and took part in numerous native, nationwide, and worldwide union contract negotiations.
“I’m honored to proceed to function a part of this history-making administration with Stephanie O’Keefe and Danita Ng-Poss,” he mentioned. “With the New 12 months and the brand new administration, our union’s work continues to assist information and inform our members via this devastating pandemic and be sure that musicians get again to work as shortly and safely as potential.”
The newly elected officers and govt board members will probably be sworn in on the union’s inaugural assembly by way of Zoom on Jan. 11.
Native 47 represents greater than 6,000 musicians all through higher Los Angeles in all aspects of the music enterprise, and is affiliated with the American Federation of Musicians of the US and Canada, which represents some 80,000 skilled musicians.