Your Guide to the Opera Colorado & AGMA Collective Bargaining Agreement
On July 15, Opera Colorado and the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) announced a historic milestone of reaching their first-ever collective bargaining agreement. The effect of this agreement will be felt widely and for a long time, and we want you to know why it’s so important for everyone in our community.
Who is affected?
This agreement affects everyone in the Opera Colorado community, but for our singers, chorus members, dancers, and staging staff, this will be a game changer.
Everything in the agreement serves to support and nourish these artists who give everything to bring these operas to life. With a companion agreement, we’re also strengthening our Artist in Residence Program by guaranteeing housing, weekly wages, and mainstage opportunities to emerging artists as they build their careers. When our artists feel supported in their craft, it sustains everything we do.
At its core, this agreement is about recognition as much as it is about pay and protections. With this collective bargaining agreement, our chorus and AGMA-represented artists are recognized as professionals.
Why it matters
This three-year collective bargaining agreement allows Opera Colorado to be a desirable place to work as an artist. The safe working conditions and reliable pay guaranteed by this agreement reflect the company’s commitment to fairness, stability, and dedication to supporting opera talent for generations to come. As the Colorado Sun reported, this agreement was reached three years after the artists first organized, signaling a sustained commitment to partnership.
As with other performing arts companies across the nation, we’re in a period of stabilization and strengthening after the financial challenges of the COVID 19 pandemic. Despite that, under the leadership of Artistic Director Barbara Lynne Jamison, we made this agreement a priority. By investing time and effort into the collective bargaining agreement, Opera Colorado situates itself as a dedicated partner to the artists who help us strengthen our place in Denver’s cultural scene.
What is AGMA?
The American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) is a national labor union of singers, dancers, stage directors, stage managers, choreographers, actors, and teaching faculty in opera, concert dance, and concert choral performance.
At Opera Colorado, those people are our opera singers, chorus members, choreographers, dancers, stage management staff, stage direction staff, and more. In 2023, negotiations began with these artists, AGMA, and Opera Colorado that led all parties to this pivotal moment.