Laura Ross
In 2024, violinist, Laura Ross, celebrated her 40th
season as a member of the Nashville Symphony (NSO) and Local 257. She
joined the AFM (Local 625-Ann Arbor MI) in 1979 while attending the
University of Michigan. She is currently a life member of Local 257 –
Nashville TN.
Laura spent most of her NSO career representing her colleagues on the
orchestra committee (OC), as a former OC chair, NSO’s ROPA (Regional
Orchestra Players’ Association) delegate from 1989 - 1994, as a member
of the orchestra’s negotiating committee from 1989 - 2019, and as
Nashville Symphony union steward from 1995 - 2019. She currently serves
as a musician representative to the Nashville Symphony Association
Board.
On a national level, Laura has been a member of the AFM’s national
electronic media negotiating committee for all symphonic agreements
since 1995, as ROPA Member-a-Large from 1991-94 and Secretary from
1994-2000, and, since 2002, as ICSOM (International Conference of
Symphony and Opera Musicians) Secretary, representing the top 51
orchestras in the US and Puerto Rico. In August 2010 she was appointed
as a rank-and-file Trustee to the American Federation of Musicians and
Employers Pension Fund.
Laura was first elected to Local 257’s Executive Board and as 257’s
convention delegate since 2000; in June 2023, while being recognized
for 25 years of convention attendance, Laura served as Chair of the
Measures & Benefits Committee. She began working part-time at Local
257 in 1996.