Author - Robert Levine

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Labor Relations, Negotiations, and Contract Administration

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Labor Relations, Negotiations, and Contract Administration

Apr 08 2006
Browse archives for April 08, 2006
Robert Levine
Robert Levine

Robert Levine has been the Principal Violist of the Milwaukee Symphony since September 1987. Before coming to Milwaukee Mr. Levine had been a member of the Orford String Quartet, Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Toronto, with whom he toured extensively throughout Canada, the United States, and South America. Prior to joining the Orford Quartet, Mr. Levine had served as Principal Violist of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra for six years. He has also performed with the San Francisco Symphony, the London Symphony of Canada, and the Oklahoma City Symphony, as well as serving as guest principal with the orchestras of Indianapolis and Hong Kong.

He has performed as soloist with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Oklahoma City Symphony, the London Symphony of Canada, the Midsummer Mozart Festival (San Francisco), and numerous community orchestras in Northern California and Minnesota. He has also been featured on American Public Radio's nationally broadcast show "St. Paul Sunday Morning" on several occasions.

Mr. Levine has been an active chamber musician, having performed at the Festival Rolandseck in Germany, the Grand Teton Music Festival, the Palm Beach Festival, the "Strings in the Mountains" Festival in Colorado, and numerous concerts in the Twin Cities and Milwaukee. He has also been active in the field of new music, having commissioned and premiered works for viola and orchestra from Minnesota composers Janika Vandervelde and Libby Larsen.

Mr. Levine was chairman of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians from 1996 to 2002 and currently serves as President of the Milwaukee Musicians Association, Local 8 of the American Federation of Musicians, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the League of American Orchestras. He has written extensively about issues concerning orchestra musicians for publications of ICSOM, the AFM, the Symphony Orchestra Institute, and the League of American Orchestras.

Mr. Levine attended Stanford University and the Institute for Advanced Musical Studies in Switzerland. His primary teachers were Aaron Sten and Pamela Goldsmith. He also studied with Paul Doctor, Walter Trampler, Bruno Giuranna, and David Abel.

He lives with his wife Emily and his son Sam in Glendale.

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Are you confused about Orchestra Committees, Locals, Player Conferences, CBAs, AFM, ASOL, SOI, etc., etc.? The orchestra world often begins to seem like alphabet soup. But here’s a quick and easy way to sort your way through the basics of contracts, labor law and unions, and find out just exactly how your orchestra is run.

Robert Levine, Principal Violist in the Milwaukee Symphony, former Chair of ICSOM, and President of AFM Local 8 in Milwaukee, has written an article in question & answer format that walks you through all these issues. From defining collective bargaining to discussing why orchestras are unionized, Robert presents a clear (and often amusing) picture of what you need to know to participate meaningfully in your orchestra and your local.

Robert goes on to describe how an orchestra works, from both the musicians’ point of view, discussing such topics as peer review, tenure, auditions, and revolving seating, and the industry’s point of view, touching on orchestra categories and funding. This FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) article will continue to grow – please send in your questions and Robert will add the answer.

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