Search Results for: solidarity fund

“We stand with each other, and will keep each other standing until
we are on the other side of this.”  — Claire Chase

The New Music Solidarity Fund, an initiative formed to grant emergency funding to musicians impacted by COVID-19, has concluded fundraising. At $508,000, the completed Fund has far exceeded its initial $100,000 goal, as well as its subsequent $500,000 goal; the Fund is now able to distribute emergency $500 grants to 1,016 applicants.

The New Music Solidarity Fund was made possible through the collective efforts of Marcos Balter, Julia Bullock, Claire Chase, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Du Yun, Reena Esmail, Judd Greenstein, Nico Muhly, Andrew Norman, Christian Reif, Christopher Rountree, Caroline Shaw, Conrad Tao, Seth Parker Woods, and New Music USA. This group sought to extend help to less-secure individuals within their community. Beyond this emergency bridge fund, the organizers and contributors hope to lay the grounds for a new financial and cultural framework that ensures the stability of musicians in the new-music scene. The New Music Solidarity Fund is administered through New Music USA, a 501c3 organization.

The New Music Solidarity Fund could not have achieved this goal without significant generosity from the nonprofit and music communities. In addition to the outpouring of support from individual donors, several like-minded organizations have diverted their funds into major gifts. These are The Aaron Copland Fund for Music; the Achelis and Bodman Foundation; American Composers Forum; The Amphion Foundation; Boosey & Hawkes, a Concord Company; Howard Gilman Foundation; Loud Hound Foundation; the New York Community Trust; and the Pacific Harmony Foundation.

Many artists, including Marcos Balter, Claire Chase, Susie Ibarra, Jen Shyu, Rebecca Sigel, Nadia Sirota, Conrad Tao, and Third Coast Percussion, also raised money for the New Music Solidarity Fund by turning online concerts into fundraisers. Organizations such as the OmniARTS Foundation also raised funds independently through streaming events.

The New Music Solidarity Fund would also like to thank Larry and Arlene Dunn, who donated proceeds from a recent recording project to the Fund; and Son Lux, who donated proceeds from all their titles on Bandcamp to this and other charities.

“A single canceled performance can have a huge impact on someone’s livelihood. Time and time again, freelance musicians have been there for us composers and new music lovers.I’m deeply touched but not at all surprised that so many artists have answered our calls for contributions. We are a diverse but deeply united family, and we will get through this together.”
Marcos Balter

“Self-preservation can’t so much be on the minds of musicians because one of the fundamentals of music making is acknowledging that we are providing a service for one another. At this immediate time, the support of this fund is financial, but I hope it will resonate well beyond that, once more people know the feeling of solidarity amongst artists.”
Julia Bullock

“Thanks to this outpouring of generosity, we were able to exceed our goal and provide essential relief to more than a thousand artists working in new music. That our relatively small community could come together in such large numbers is a testament to our movement’s resilience, warmth, grit, and grace. We will keep lifting each other up.”
Claire Chase

“Quarantine has served as a powerful reminder of how deeply collaborative music making is and must be. It’s thrilling to have worked with this community of artists and makers to support one another in this crucial way during this harrowing time.”
Anthony Roth Costanzo

“In times like this, we demonstrate, once again, our strongest power and resilience. In times like this, when all else is failing and seems to fall apart, we have each other’s back. When words begin to pale, our actions stand strong. How lucky we are connected by our convictions and passions in life.”
Du Yun

“Supporting artists at this critical time and making sure their basic needs are met allows artists to perform their civic duty: to think broadly and creatively about the world we will find on the other side of this pandemic, and to pioneer new, generative ways forward together.”
Reena Esmail

“It was beyond inspiring to see how quickly our community came to the aid of those musicians who need extra support during this time, and it’s been especially wonderful to see artists supporting one another through direct donations and benefit concerts.”
Judd Greenstein

“As the cancellations started pouring in in late March, it was very easy to fall into a cycle of lonesome despair, both artistic and financial. It was, in turn, even more heartening to see so many musicians and composers whose work focuses on the music of the 21st century join together to try to help out colleagues in any way we all could.”
Nico Muhly

“I have been truly moved by the depth and breadth of generosity we have seen from artists in our community. We will get through this together and we will never again take for granted the ability to gather as a community and make music for and with one another.”
Andrew Norman

“There is a need far beyond what we’re able to give, but it offers hope and some relief to our freelance peers who have no safety net.”
Christian Reif

“Everyone is essential. In this cause it’s essential that all of us do whatever we can to preserve art, to preserve that soul of humanity, one that’s needed now more than ever.”
Christopher Rountree

“The strength and generosity that has emerged among communities of artists is energizing. Let’s keep fortifying these roots to keep this garden full and ready when the sun comes back out. This is the time to take care of each other.”
Caroline Shaw

“It has been so inspiring to see—from the earliest weeks of our concert infrastructure shutting down to now—the outpouring of support for our community, from our community. This pandemic has starkly shown just how interdependent we all are. Thank you to everyone who helped us meet our financial goals each step of the way.”
Conrad Tao

“It’s been thrilling to call on our friends and colleagues of new music to create this fund, and the outpouring of support and love has given me a deeper sense of hope as we tread these uncharted waters.”
Seth Parker Woods

The artists behind the fund are grateful to New Music USA for the generous administrative support and resources that have made the New Music Solidarity Fund possible.

Vanessa Reed, credit: Ruth Kilpatrick

New Music USA announces today that President & CEO Vanessa Reed will leave the organization to become the first woman appointed as Chief Executive of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic in the UK, one of the country’s leading music organizations with a mission to transform lives through music. The organization includes the award-winning Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and associated ensembles and choirs, a substantial music learning and talent development program, and Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. Reed’s last day at New Music USA will be May 2, 2025. A national search for her replacement will be announced in the coming weeks. 

Vanessa Reed joined New Music USA in August 2019 after a decade of leading the PRS Foundation, the UK’s leading funder of new music and talent development. During her time at New Music USA, Reed launched an array of new initiatives that have expanded the organization’s scope, addressed inequities in the field, built community, and demonstrated New Music USA’s ability to change in response to the community’s needs.  

A hallmark of Reed’s leadership of New Music USA has been her passion for collaborating with leading artists in the field to create new programs and initiatives. Seven months into her tenure, Reed led the organization’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic by working with a team of major artists and composers, including flutist Claire Chase and composer Marcos Balter, to deliver the New Music Solidarity Fund, which provided $500,000 of emergency grant funding to 1,100 artists in need.  

She worked closely with NEA Jazz Master Terri Lyne Carrington and the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice to launch Next Jazz Legacy to expand opportunities for the next generation of diverse improvisers in jazz, raising $2.5 million from the Mellon Foundation to bring this program to life. Additional notable artist collaborators include composer Christophe Beck for New Music USA and SESAC’s Reel Change: Fund for Diversity in Film Scoring and conductor Marin Alsop for Ravinia’s Breaking Barriers Festival. 

Other throughlines of Vanessa Reed’s tenure include her passion for expanding New Music USA’s national reach and her awareness of sector-wide challenges. Amplifying Voices has encouraged over 45 orchestras nationwide and abroad to co-commission pieces by composers who are historically underrepresented in the field, guaranteeing them multiple performances of their orchestral works. The New Music Creator Fund was devised to address the lack of small grant opportunities available to individual artists. New Music Inc has deepened New Music USA’s support of small, artist-led organizations in Baltimore, Chicago, New York – and will soon debut in Los Angeles – leveraging local support for mentorship, cohort learning, and capacity building for organizations that are driving innovation in the field. 

All this work towards a thriving and equitable music ecosystem has been underpinned by Reed’s belief in supporting new music in all its forms and the importance of building community and belonging among creators, practitioners, donors, partners, and audience members. She is leaving New Music USA in a strong position, with multi-year funding in place for the organization’s exciting next chapter.

Joe Walker, Chair of New Music USA’s Board of Directors, has released the following statement regarding the announcement:  

“Vanessa’s leadership of New Music USA has been exemplary. She has raised the profile of our organization across the US, refreshed our vision and priorities, increased our resources for artists, and enabled us to build a bi-coastal board. All of us at New Music USA admire her energy and determination. We wish her the best in her new role.” 

Reena Esmail, composer and New Music USA’s Artist Char Emeritus, adds:  

“I am so inspired by Vanessa’s passionate advocacy for composers. In her time at the helm, New Music USA has expanded its funding programs to include jazz and film music, and to connect composers from these genres to one another, both nationally and through city-specific events and programs. In her five and a half years of incredible leadership, she has made our musical community richer and more interconnected.” 

Vanessa Reed says: 

“Leading New Music USA for the past five and half years has been one of the most fulfilling and stimulating experiences of my life. I have been inspired by the dedication, passion, and creativity of everyone involved in our dynamic music community – from our board, staff, councils, and advisors, to the extraordinary creators, performers, and leaders I’ve had the honor to support. My commitment to New Music USA is based on my longstanding belief in the critical role that specialist resources like this play in the wider arts ecology. I look forward to following the next chapter of this important organization and I am extremely grateful to everyone I’ve worked with for their trust, and for all the music they’ve enabled me to discover.” 

Read the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic’s announcement of Vanessa Reed’s appointment here.

About New Music USA 

New Music USA is a national non-profit organization dedicated to advancing new music in all its forms. Our mission is to nurture a vibrant and inclusive community for artists and listeners by supporting the creation, performance, and appreciation of new music throughout the United States. Through responsive grant-making; skill-building; mentorship and convenings for creators from all backgrounds; and platforms designed to connect music-makers with organizations and their audiences, New Music USA works to ensure a thriving, connected, and equitable ecosystem for the music of our time. newmusicusa.org 

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Towards an imaginative, collaborative, and inclusive future

Dear friends and colleagues,

When I joined New Music USA just over a year ago, the world was a very different place. I spent those first months on the road, meeting composers and music practitioners, and listening to live music in festivals and concerts – from Detroit, Miami, LA, and New York to Minneapolis, Denver, and Tanglewood. These encounters contributed to my understanding of how New Music USA can develop its role as national advocate and supporter.

With your input, I found that:

• we can improve our visibility and impact outside of New York, using our platforms to draw more attention to the music being created nationwide;
• our financial support is of utmost importance to the new music ecosystem (we received over 2500 applications this year);
• our role as “connector” is valued by practitioners, who recognize the silos and missed opportunities within their own city or music community.

Through our online survey, you also urged us to spotlight the diversity of US-based new music practitioners. This aligns with the Amplifying Voices program I introduced at the end of 2019 which we launched to increase opportunities for Black and Latinx composers and to help transform the future of symphonic music promoted and commissioned by US orchestras.

No-one could have predicted the reality we face now as my first year comes to an end.

Since the pandemic took form this March, many of you have been out of work, and many have suffered from illness or personal loss. Nearly all of us – whether audience member or artist – have been deprived of experiencing live performance, one of our greatest, life-affirming joys.

Racial and social inequities, already exposed by COVID-19, were amplified by the murder of George Floyd; and we are finally recognizing the impact of systemic racism across every walk of life – including the performing arts.

Our first response was to collaborate with artist leaders from our community, to create the New Music Solidarity Fund, which has now helped over 1,044 freelance musicians with emergency financial relief. We then awarded 110 Project Grants, so that we could allocate over $1.2M in total funding in the last few months alone.

In parallel to these crucial funds, we embarked on an eight-city virtual tour, with over 250 practitioners, to update our knowledge of the challenges that you are tackling and how New Music USA might help.

And we turned inwards to identify the anti-racist actions and policies we have committed to as part of our vision for an equitable ecosystem for new music.

These are just a few examples of how we will continue to change as we move into my second year at New Music USA.

We recognize that there’s no turning back to where we were.

Instead we can channel this momentum toward a re-set that enables New Music USA and everyone in our community to be more imaginative, collaborative, and inclusive than ever before.

For New Music USA this will include:

• adapting our project grant funding criteria to support the sector’s recovery over the next year;
• instigating new partnerships, which bring more resources to where they are needed most;
• continuing to engage in open conversations on anti-racism and inclusion, as we make active changes to support a more just future;
• continuing to develop our Board and staff under the leadership of our new Co-Chairs.

In my first message as CEO of New Music USA, I shared my belief that music, like every art form, deserves specialized resources and advocates who will create a better future for its creators, practitioners, and audiences. I am personally committed to the work that this entails.

I want our organization to be relevant and responsive, serving our current community whilst opening doors and creating opportunities for those who’ve previously been excluded.

Please get in touch if you have ideas or questions since the last time I was in touch. This is an open, ongoing conversation that I welcome you all to join.

Vanessa Reed

President and CEO
New Music USA