Who we are

Proudly Serving the professional musicians of Detroit since 1881

The Detroit Federation of Musicians is an organization of professional musicians that has proudly contributed to Detroit’s rich cultural heritage since 1881. We are part of the American Federation of Musicians, which represents nearly 100,000 professional musicians across the United States and Canada.

We are truly the professionals in the live performance music business – the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Michigan Opera Theater Orchestra, the Fisher Theater and Fox Theater Orchestras, as well as legendary jazz, studio, and commercial recording musicians. We are the musicians who created the original Motown sound. The very best live performance musical groups are proud to call Detroit home.

For more than 50 years the Detroit Federation of Musicians has helped enrich the lives of the people of Metro Detroit by partnering with the Recording Industry’s Music Performance Trust Fund. By providing live, admission-free, quality music, performed by professional musicians to the public of all ages and backgrounds, the Music Performance Trust Fund has helped increase the public’s knowledge and appreciation of music and has brought exciting educational programs to thousands of schools so that music can be part of every child’s life experience.