Olympic fever strikes a chord with Canada's professional music community!

AFM Canada Applauds Members' Performance at Olympic Opening Event

TORONTO, Feb. 15 /CNW/ - AFM Canada, the Canadian representatives of the American Federation of Musicians, issued congratulations to more than 200 of its members in response to their stellar performances during the breath-taking opening ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The historic event, which was broadcast live from Vancouver's BC Place Stadium and viewed by millions the world-over, featured expert performances by instrumentalists ranging in background from classical to country to jazz; and was unquestionably an extraordinary showcase of the international caliber of the professional musicians living and working in Canada.

"The Olympic Games are not just a sporting event, they are one of the biggest, most viewed cultural events the world over," says Bill Skolnik, Vice President from Canada for the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada. "They have included culture and art as part of the celebration since ancient times, and we congratulate our professional members in the spotlight as Canada plays host to world".

Performing alongside multi-layer music scores penned for the occasion, AFM members, under the direction of Vancouver Olympics' Music Director and AFM member, David Pierce, pulled out all the stops in a marathon effort to create a spectacular performance that provided the soundtrack for one of Canada's proudest moments.

"There's no shortage of talent in Canada," said Executive Producer for Vancouver 2010's Olympic Ceremonies Team, David Atkins. "In fact, there's an embarrassment of riches when it comes to Canada's resource of performers, artists and cultural practitioners(1).

AFM Canada maintains an illustrious membership that includes Canada's best and brightest professional musicians. They are represented in Vancouver by The Vancouver Musicians' Association (VMA) one of AFM Canada's 27 local affiliates. The VMA represents over 1700 professional musicians in the Vancouver and surrounding area. For more information about member benefits please visit www.vma145.ca

AFM Canada is a complementary yet independent office of the American Federation of Musicians, United States and Canada and is uniquely positioned to address Canadian issues for its Canadian membership. It is the leading professional organization of its kind available to Canadian musicians and represents over 17,000 professional musicians in Canada. In June 2009, AFM Canada began a year-long 30th Anniversary celebration. For more information please visit our website, www.afm.org.

(1) (C) 2010 The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and

Paralympic Winter Games (http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-news/n/news/feature-stories/peeking-behind-the-scenes-of-the-olympic-opening-and-closing-ceremonies_39538Ir.html)

For further information: MEDIA CONTACT: Victoria Lord, Office: [phone], [email protected]