Theatre Musicians Association Philadelphia Chapter

Theatre Musicians Association Philadelphia Chapter WELCOME to the TMA Philadelphia Chapter!

A volunteer, member-supported official players conference of the American Federation of Musicians, TMA Philly works to support, celebrate, and advocate for theatre musicians across the greater Philadelphia region.

10/04/2026

We hope you’ll join us for a special gathering of Philly area theatre musicians on Monday evening, October 19th, at the offices of in Center City! Come catch up with friends, meet new colleagues, swap stories, learn what’s going on in our workplaces, and discuss how we can support one another and continue to improve our industry. If you’ve ever worked as a theatre musician in the greater Philadelphia area, this gathering is for you. Plus, free food – you can’t go wrong there!

All are encouraged to RSVP at https://tinyurl.com/PhillyTMA by Friday, October 16th, so we can get a rough headcount for refreshments. For those unable to attend in person, the meeting will also be accessible via Zoom. (You can request Zoom access via the RSVP form, or look for a Zoom link on this page closer to the date.)

Hope to see you there!

As we head into the weekend, we wanted to tip our hats to the fantastic band of ’s production of DEAR EVAN HANSEN, which...
06/05/2026

As we head into the weekend, we wanted to tip our hats to the fantastic band of ’s production of DEAR EVAN HANSEN, which opened last week! These eight musicians – one of the largest pit orchestras in recent Arden memory – are performing the show’s full original orchestrations, and audiences are loving it; the show has extended, and performances now run through July 5th!

Nero Catalano – Guitar 2
Rachel Massey – Violin
Dan McCain – Bass
Lorenzo Raval – Viola
Emily Roane – Drums
Tim Schilling – Guitar 1
Ryan Touhey – Conductor/Keyboard/MD
Justin Yoder – Cello

And a special shoutout to Jake Collins, Assistant Music Director, who was another invaluable member of the music team during the rehearsal process.

This crew would be worth celebrating in any context, but it’s especially exciting to have them representing on the first full production operating under the Arden’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement with our Philadelphia Musicians Union! Check out the new union representation language and Local 77-274’s logo in the playbill.

Come cheer on these great players at DEAR EVAN HANSEN through July 5th!

It has come to the attention of our TMA Philly Executive Board that Bristol Riverside Theatre (Bristol, PA) plans to onc...
05/18/2026

It has come to the attention of our TMA Philly Executive Board that Bristol Riverside Theatre (Bristol, PA) plans to once again utilize pre-recorded music for their production of ANNIE next season, instead of hiring live musicians. Last season, BRT produced IN THE HEIGHTS and received strong criticism for their use of instrumental tracks in replacement of live musicians. We were pleased to see the theatre return to employing live musicians for this season’s critically acclaimed production of JELLY’S LAST JAM, but it seems that this was not a permanent course correction.

We want our theatre musicians community, our colleagues in the broader theatre industry, and the theatre-going public to be aware of this move, as it reflects a growing and deeply concerning trend in our field toward musician replacement. BRT is a major professional theatre in our region, and this decision represents a betrayal of professional standards that is detrimental to musicians, theatrical collaborators, and audiences alike. It is our sincere hope that industry professionals would think twice before accepting work on a production that displaces working musicians in this way. Live music is the foundation of musical theatre, and when musicians are replaced by canned tracks, everyone loses.

The Philly TMA stands in solidarity with all our colleagues who are losing work at BRT because of this move and calls on the theatre to reverse its decision. If you are a patron of Bristol Riverside Theatre, we encourage you to contact the theatre with your feedback. Musicians are the lifeblood of musical theatre, and live theatre must be live.

Thanks to all who joined in ’s leafleting action this week in support of our colleagues at the Forrest Theatre! Our soli...
05/15/2026

Thanks to all who joined in ’s leafleting action this week in support of our colleagues at the Forrest Theatre! Our solidarity was audible, visible, joyful, and defiant! We are truly stronger and more powerful when we stand together and speak up for what is fair and right.

If you haven’t yet, you can add your name to show your support for our Philly musicians at https://philamusicians.org/forrest-theatre-unfair-labor-practices

CHICAGO is coming to the Forrest Theatre this week, and opens this evening, May 12, 2026. Unfortunately, this is a non-u...
05/12/2026

CHICAGO is coming to the Forrest Theatre this week, and opens this evening, May 12, 2026. Unfortunately, this is a non-union production, where the musicians are not receiving the fair wages and workplace protections they deserve. That is in conflict with Local 77-274’s collective bargaining agreement with the Schubert Organization, which is in place to protect musicians working at the Forrest. Even more egregiously, the Forrest management has engaged in retaliation against our local musicians in response to Local 77-274’s continued efforts to address this unfair labor practice; after 5 of our musicians and one contractor had been hired to join the orchestra for the run of CHICAGO, they were abruptly un-hired by the Shubert Organization.

At a time when more and more touring productions are being sent out on non-union contracts, without proper protections and compensation for the musicians who play them, we are sending a strong message that Philadelphia is a union town, and that we will not tolerate producers who take advantage of their workers and violate our collective bargaining agreements. Please join us for an informational leafletting action outside the Forrest Theatre TONIGHT from 6:30-7:30 pm.

As our city approaches the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we couldn’t be prouder o...
05/07/2026

As our city approaches the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we couldn’t be prouder of our musicians who are helping to tell that story in ’s production of 1776!

Here’s to the revolutionary heroes of the 1776 orchestra:

Chris Burcheri - Keyboard 2/Conductor
Daniel Espie - Keyboard 1/Rehearsal Pianist/Associate Conductor
Bob Quaile - Reeds
Andrew Connors - Trumpet
Bob Gale - Trombone
Bryn Coveney - Horn
Rebecca Ansel - Violin 1/Concertmaster
Alexandra Cutler-Fetkewicz - Violin 2
Sue Lerner - Cello
David Weiss - Bass
Kevin Blanke - Percussion

Catch these awesome players (and their excellent subs) in 1776 through May 31st!

Address

1420 Locust Street, Suite 300
Philadelphia, PA
19102

Telephone

+12159852777

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