Canadian Federation of Musicians is very pleased to announce that Canada has been elected to the Executive Committee of the International Federation of Musicians’/Fédération Internationale des Musiciens (FIM). Founded in 1948, the FIM is the international organization for musicians’ unions, guilds and professional associations and includes 70 members in 60 countries throughout the world. As the Canadian representative, Alan Willaert, AFM Vice President from Canada will help steer FIM initiatives aimed at protecting and furthering the economic, social and artistic interests of musicians represented by its member unions.
“The rights and working environment for professional musicians, whether at home in Canada, across the border in the United States, or in any country around the globe, now more than ever requires consistent aggressive advocacy and support”, said Mr. Willaert. “I look forward to contributing to those efforts on a global scale, and to continuing to build the uniquely Canadian perspective throughout the international community of musicians.”
AFM President, Ray Hair was elected to the position of Vice President of the International Federation of Musicians. In addition, Mr. Hair and Mr. Willaert will represent US and Canadian musician’s interests as part of FIM’s Steering Committee.
A native of Delhi, Ontario, Alan Willaert’s musical career started as a classically-trained accordionist, winning the Canadian Open twice. After joining the AFM in 1969, he played cordovox and woodwinds with various dance and swing bands throughout high school. Graduation brought “the road”, and what was to be eighteen years of show and rock bands, with stints on keys, sax, clarinet, flute, trumpet, lead guitar and vocals. The most notable was the band Charade, which toured throughout Canada, the US and the Bahamas. Becoming interested in AFM internal functions, he was elected to the board of Local 467, Brantford Musicians Association, in the mid-80s.
Ray Hair has served as president of the AFM since August of 2024. He has been a professional musician since 1964, performing as a freelance, club-date, recording and traveling musician. Previously the president of AFM Local 72-147 Dallas-Fort Worth Professional Musicians Association for more than 27 years, he was first elected to the AFM’s international executive board in 1989.
The Canadian Federation of Musicians (CFM) is the Canadian National office of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM). The CFM provides vital resources for Canadian musicians at any stage in their careers, on any platform, from live concert to recorded performance, broadcast and film scoring. The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM) is comprised of 200 Local offices across the United States and Canada, collectively representing a membership of approximately 85,000 professional musicians across the United States and Canada. The AFM/CFM has been representing the interests of U.S. and Canadian musicians for 120 years, as the representative of professional musicians in a broad range of collective bargaining and legislative actions. From June 20-24, 2024 AFM celebrates its 100th Convention.
As a nongovernmental organisation, FIM has a permanent relationship with major intergovernmental organisations such as
UNESCO, the ILO, WIPO. It is recognized and consulted by the
Council of Europe, the
European Commission and the
European Parliament. It enables it to participate in crucial negotiations on the protection of performers where it can make the voice of musicians heard.
FIM works closely with collecting societies administering performers’ rights.
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