Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
1241 Elm Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
2021-22 Education Programs
Grant Application:
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra respectfully requests a renewed grant of $25,000 from the Charles H. Dater Foundation in support of the Orchestra’s 2021-22 education programs.
Providing young Cincinnatians with quality music education opportunities and supporting local music educators with their own initiatives has been a priority for the CSO for more than 100 years. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic during the 2020-21 season, the CSO offered all of its programming in hybrid or all-virtual formats. Though most schools are migrating back to in-person instruction for the 2021-22 academic year, the Orchestra will continue to offer our education programs online and virtually to remove barriers to arts experiences such as cost, time, and travel.
2021-22 education programs include:
• Sound Discoveries,
• Musicians in Schools,
• Young People’s Concerts,
• Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestras (CSYOs),
• Nouveau Program, and
• CSO/CCM Diversity Fellowship.
Program Goials:
1. Reach a minimum of 25,000 students through CSO education programs.
2. Promote the development of 21st century skills in children through music-based instruction.
3. Eliminate cost as a barrier to music participation.
Grant Evaluation Report:
The established programs of the CSO’s Learning Department continue to expand in depth and scope even as we continue through the pandemic. Previous funding from the Dater Foundation helped the CSO quickly pivot to a digital platform for our services. The CSO is committed to offering virtual education opportunities in addition to in-person instruction during the 2022-23 season and beyond. All five of our school partners resumed their Sound Discoveries in school program this past February. We were able to add Carson School as a new full-time partner after previously being a summer-only partner. Our free Virtual Sound Discoveries lessons are for all schools, individual households, and educators.
Additionally, the CSO’s efforts to support young musicians of color along the pathway toward professional careers in orchestral music continue to grow. The incremental change in national statistics regarding diverse representation in American Orchestras underscores the need for the CSO and our partner organizations to expand the pathway to careers in professional orchestras. In creating programs to encourage young musicians from the earliest stages of musical development through to the graduate and post-graduate levels, that goal is achievable.
This season, we are delighted to announce the inaugural Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Brass Institute season in collaboration with the Miami University of Ohio. This summer program will offer two intensive, high-level instruction programs for advanced brass players, led by musicians from the CSO brass section and Miami University brass faculty. The High School Scholars Program and Orchestral Training Fellowship are offered without cost to participants to reduce socioeconomic barriers that may impact participation. The first Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Brass Institute will happen June 6-13, 2022, at Miami University’s Oxford campus.
The impact of this work, and the Dater Foundation’s longstanding support, is illustrated by the stories of Diversity Fellow Luis Arturo Celis and Nouveau graduate Micah Ballard. Luis began his first year of fellowship earlier this season and recently won a section position with the Cincinnati Symphony. Luis is 23 years old and will join the section next fall for the 22/23 season. The Fellows have received invitations to perform at various summer music festivals and orchestras, including Chautauqua, Spoleto, Grant Tetons Music Festival, and Tanglewood.
Micah graduated from the Nouveau Program in 2020. During his time in Nouveau, he studied with Christopher Sales, CSO Principal Bassoon. On March 15 recording of a commissioned work titled Let American Be America Again by Micah Ballard took place. The commissioners were Erin Fung and Chris Sales as a part of Isolation Commissions, a project funded by ArtsWave’s Truth and Reconciliation stream. Micah wrote it for a Nouveau string quartet that premiered the work in the fall of 2021. In addition to being a bassoonist, Micah plans to continue his studies in composition at Miami University in the fall, and he will major in Music Composition and Game Design.
Website:
http://www.cincinnatisymphony.org Amount: $50,000
Date: December 2021
