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January 3, 200
7
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester Receives Grant
from New York State Music Fund
$19 million awarded by The New York State Music Fund to 218
nonprofit contemporary music appreciation programs
Rochester , New York , January 9, 2007 – The Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester announced today that it is the recipient of a $90,000 grant from The New York State Music Fund (“The Fund”). Funds will be used to support technical assistance, professional development opportunities and promotional and networking tools for musicians in the 10-county Greater Rochester region, including legal advice on contracts and basics of intellectual property; and courses in Web design and marketing. The New York State Music Fund was created when the New York State Attorney General’s Office resolved investigations against major record companies that had violated state and federal laws prohibiting “pay for play” (also called “payola”).
The settlement agreement stipulated that funds paid by music businesses would support music education and appreciation for the benefit of New York State residents. The Attorney General’s Office enlisted the services of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, one of the nation’s largest and most experienced philanthropy services, to develop and manage the grant program.
“This grant provides an exciting opportunity to expand and enhance our services throughout the region,” said Sarah Lentini, president and CEO of the Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester .
The New York State Music Fund published guidelines and criteria and accepted grant applications in a number of categories, including music education and public performances of music by artists working in hip hop, reggae, fusion, jazz, classical and folk music of all cultures. Applications related to recording, distribution, or broadcast through traditional or new media were also eligible. Special emphasis was placed on reaching underserved populations and broadening awareness of artists, genres or styles with limited access to commercial broadcast or other mass distribution vehicles.
An Advisory Panel comprised of recognized leaders from a cross-section of the music world evaluated and recommended applications based on criteria focusing on artistic merit and community impact, and recommended 218 of 402 applications the Fund received for its second cycle.
Awards to the 218 grantees represent every region of New York State and range from $10,000 to $500,000. Diverse forms of popular or experimental music, including indie rock, salsa, electronic, fusion and reggae account for almost 37 percent of grants and more than 15 percent celebrate a spectrum of jazz; nearly 25 percent include new classical music. The state’s ethnic or racial minority communities are served by close to a third of all programs, while 28 percent specifically target rural communities. The Fund’s size and emphasis on music of our time in all its forms set it apart from other arts grant programs.
“We are delighted that so many Rochester area organizations are among the recipients of these grants,” said Lentini. “It is a testament to the rich and varied musical tradition in the region.”
Other Greater Rochester Area recipients include:
Alarm Will Sound (Rochester) $21,000
To support the In Your Ear 2007 festival, presenting new compositions, techno remixes, improvisation and arrangements of pieces from a variety of styles and genres such as electronica, chamber music and fusion.
The Commission Project (Rochester) $58,000
To support two school-based interactive music residencies for underserved students, especially those with learning disabilities, featuring professional musicians sharing folk traditions around the world and teaching students to build and perform on African xylophones.
Eastman School of Music – University of Rochester (Rochester) $31,000
For presentation and outreach of the Third Annual Women in Music Festival with five days of free concerts, featuring composer-in-residence Tania León and the Rochester premiere of her works set to the poetry of writer Margaret Atwood.
Garth Fagan Dance (Rochester) $125,000
To restage Life: Dark/Light with live music from the Billy Bang Septet at various venues including the Athena Performing Arts Center in Rochester and the Joyce Theater.
Genesee Valley Council on the Arts ( Mt. Morris) $43,000
For Strong as Steel Residency, a year-long instruction program in steel band performance delivered in collaboration with Mt. Morris Central School.
Hochstein School of Music & Dance (Rochester) $100,000
For Project 20/21, a program celebrating contemporary music designed to increase community outreach through collaborative programming and a series of contemporary music workshops, master classes and public performances, in collaboration with the Eastman School of Music, WXXI and WGMC.
In Collaboration (Long Island City) $75,000 – In partnership with the New York State Literary Center
For Bridging the Gap through Rap, a joint project with the New York State Literary Center to teach students at public schools and correctional facilities in New York City, Rochester and Monroe County to write and create hip hop music as well as gain an understanding of the current music industry and how to promote the works they create.
Mercury Opera of Rochester (Rochester) $57,000
For a series of performance/learning sessions in public school classrooms throughout Western New York to introduce students to opera and musical theater, its relevance to their lives, and the influence of opera on current popular music and theater.
Rochester Folk Art Guild (Middlesex) $63,000
For Legacies, a series of concerts in four rural counties in the Finger Lakes featuring Ensemble Resonance, Sladki Doume, Karamfil, Emerald Stream and composer/performer Jose Lezcano; and the creation and distribution of two recordings from these concerts.
SUNY Geneseo (Geneseo) $75,000
For the creation of a world music opera entitled Imoinda, a collaborative effort between composer Glenn McClure with high school students from the City of Rochester’s magnet School of the Arts, college students from SUNY Geneseo, professional educators and artists and technology specialists.
Wood Library Association (Canandaigua) $60,000
For a series of performances and outreach events featuring Zephyros Winds and the commission of a new string quartet by composer Lowell Liebermann to be premiered by the Orion Quartet.
WXXI Public Broadcasting Council ( Rochester) $165,000
To support BackStage Pass, a series of broadcasts coupled with artist interviews in an hour-long, twice-monthly series for television, radio and the Web featuring regional artists from Western New York representing a variety of multigenerational music and the Rochester International Jazz Festival.
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The Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester is the local arts agency for the Rochester, New York metropolitan region. Its mission is to develop, promote and strengthen the cultural industry for the benefit of the people of the Rochester region. The Arts Council directly serves the cultural community—- artists and cultural organizations— as well as the community at large.
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