Seventeen Orchestras Each Awarded $30,000 Grants,
Made Possible by the Ann & Gordon Getty Foundation
Additional Five Orchestras Each Receive $6,000 Seed Grants to Support Creative Invention
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New
York, NY (April 19, 2018) – Highlighting the groundswell of innovation
occurring at smaller-budget orchestras and youth orchestras across the
country, seventeen orchestras have received $30,000
American Orchestras' Futures Fund
grants from the League of American Orchestras, made possible with the
generous support of the Ann & Gordon Getty Foundation. An additional
five orchestras were selected to receive seed grants of $6,000 each.
"These orchestras are in the forefront of experimentation and visionary
problem-solving, and the League is proud to support this work for the
benefit of the orchestra field," commented League President and CEO
Jesse Rosen. "I'm grateful to the Ann & Gordon Getty Foundation for
enabling orchestras to incubate innovative practice, and look forward to
the knowledge and research developed around these exciting
initiatives."
"We're energized and encouraged by the momentum of our continued partnership with the League through the
American Orchestras' Futures Fund," added Lisa Delan, Director
of the Ann & Gordon Getty Foundation. "The initiatives by
smaller-budget and youth orchestras in this round of grants represent
the range of innovation, impact, and collaboration we envisioned when we
approached the League. And I am personally gratified to witness the
commitment by these grantees to reach diverse populations within their
communities."
The
Futures Fund grantees from across the country are seizing
opportunities in the current environment. These include giving life to
contemporary repertoire by American composers, developing imaginative
concert experiences and cross-cultural artistic programming, increasing
diversity and access to music education, connecting with new immigrants
and underserved populations, extending reach via digital streaming
initiatives, investing in valuable audience development research, and
working with multiple populations
in rural and urban regions. Descriptions of the initiatives supported
through the
American Orchestras' Futures Fund
can be found here.
The $4.5 million
American Orchestras' Future Fund
program included
a first round of grants for larger-budget orchestras, announced in 2017.
For this second round, smaller-budget
and youth orchestras that are based in the U.S. and that are members of
the League of American Orchestras were eligible to apply. An
independent review panel selected the orchestras based on criteria
including significant investments in organizational learning, meaningful
partnerships with community organizations, and an ability to assess and
adapt practices for continuous innovation.
In addition to recommending seventeen
orchestras for the full two-year grant, the panel recognized the
creative promise that several orchestras demonstrated and designated an
additional award in the form of a seed grant for five orchestras to
support their continued organizational work towards the goals outlined.
This round's
Futures Fund
recipients ($30,000 grants) include:
The
American Youth Philharmonic Orchestra (VA) – expansion of the Music
Buddies mentoring program to underserved areas, where school music
provision is limited or non-existent.
The
Boston Modern Orchestra Project (MA) – The Boston Modern Orchestra
Project's mission is to give life to orchestral classics of the 20th and
21st centuries, largely by American composers, that are often
overlooked in the standard repertoire.
California Symphony – launch of a pilot adult education program called
Fresh Look: The Symphony Exposed,
marketed in English and Spanish, with on-site live Spanish interpretation.
Central
Ohio Symphony – support for a program with students at Delaware Hayes
High School to include increasing student concert attendance and
assessing the relevance of the symphony's programming.
Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras (IL) – support for the orchestras'
Inclusion Audit
to ensure that the organization is optimally inclusive and representative of Chicago's diverse community.
Contemporary
Youth Orchestra (OH) – support for building cross-sector partnerships
using programs in dance, theater, and photography to address
socioeconomic barriers to children's equal access to music education.
El Paso Symphony Orchestra (TX) – support for the Tocando After School Music Project's
Feeder School Initiative
providing high-quality music education, cultural awareness, and
performance opportunities to elementary and middle school students.
Empire State Youth Orchestra (NY) – launch of
ACCESS ESYO,
an online "pay what you can" ticketing program to meet the needs of an increasingly economically diverse membership.
Evansville
Philharmonic (IN) – support for audience development research:
qualitative research sessions and repeating a 2017 survey to understand
change resulting from newly-instituted promotions and programming.
Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra (WI) – support for the
In Harmony
program for youths and adults with special needs, presenting a
music-therapy informed performance at special needs classrooms and adult
day centers.
Greensboro
Symphony Orchestra (NC) – expansion of the OrKIDStra program, a music
education series featuring tailored curriculum and site-visits by GSO
musicians, to four rural counties, reaching an estimated 2,000 Head
Start students.
Inner
City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (CA) – support for the Los Angeles
Orchestra Fellowship, assisting persons from historically
underrepresented communities to succeed in auditions with U.S.
orchestras
Lima
Symphony (OH) – support for an initiative bringing a series of ensemble
performances and discussions with a mental health facilitator to a
center for at-risk youth, a mental health treatment facility, and a
housing complex for people struggling with addiction.
Lubbock
Symphony (TX) – development of a new concert series designed to attract
new audiences; LSO will experiment with venues, lighting, staging,
electronic amplification, video, narration, and attire to create an
engaging atmosphere.
New
Bedford Symphony (MA) – support for an assessment of the orchestra's
educational programming which will measure the impact of a concept-based
arts integrated program and explore issues that arise when assessing
education programs.
Project
440 (PA) – support for a creative youth development curriculum that
utilizes music as a tool to teach social entrepreneurship, leadership,
and service to high school musicians, and provides them with the career
and life skills necessary for success, on and off the stage.
Youth Orchestras of San Antonio (TX) – support for the
Rising Star Fellows
program, offering comprehensive support and resources to promising young
African American, Hispanic, and Native American musicians from around
San Antonio communities.
Seed Grant Recipients ($6,000):
Akron
Symphony (OH) – support for work with the city's immigrant population
—refugees from Nepal, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, both adult musicians
and high school students in the North High School immigrant orchestra.
InterSchool Orchestras of New York – support
for a collaboration with the youth division of Ballet Hispanico to
create a diverse, cross-cultural, orchestral and dance work for
presentation at a major venue in New York City in spring 2019.
Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra – support for
Lab Group,
a collaborative composing ensemble; high-school student musicians work
with staff facilitators to create new work, an entry point into group
music-making.
The
Lexington Philharmonic (KY) – support for creating a series of
collaborative music programs in non-traditional venues, increasing
participation and engagement in music by more diverse communities.
Tulsa
Symphony Orchestra (OK) – support for an organization-wide review and
analysis of the orchestra's strategic plan; TSO is reviewing and
analyzing their innovative model of orchestral governance.
Read the full press release here. |
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