Welcome to the Vancouver Musician’s Association (VMA) web site. We acknowledge we are located on the traditional, ancestral and unceded Coast Salish Territory of the Musqueam, Squamish & Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.

 

We are an affiliated charter local (Local 145) of the Canadian Federation of Musicians (CFM) and the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) whose combined membership totals over 67,000 professional musicians in North America. The VMA is the largest musicians’ association in Western Canada and the third largest in Canada.

Our 1900 plus members perform with the Vancouver Symphony, Vancouver Opera Orchestra, Okanagan Symphony, Prince George Symphony, Richmond Gateway Theatre, The Arts Club Theatre, and other local and travelling musical theatre productions. Our large number of freelance musicians perform in all genres and play on recorded electronic media, film and television productions, commercials, and live broadcasts.

Since 1901, our mission is to represent the interests and the well being of professional musicians throughout mainland British Columbia by:

• establishing professional fees, pension rates, and working conditions for freelance musicians
• negotiating and administering collective agreements for symphonies, theatre productions, etc
• facilitating musicians’ contract payouts and remittance of pension contributions directly to the Musician’s Pension Fund of Canada through our inhouse payroll service
• lobbying civic, regional, and provincial governments for policies to sustain a BC music industry and improve the social and economic conditions for all musicians.
• advocating with industry associations, music, film and television, and post production, to increase work opportunities for musicians.

With rising inequality, globalization, pressures to play for free, it is crucial for musicians to be unified with a collective voice. Being a part of the VMA will give you just that.