New Music Capacity Building Program Grant Recipients

Written By

Megan Ihnen

Ten extraordinary arts organizations selected for this game-changing new fund. The New Music Capacity Building Program was funded and made possible by The New York Community Trust.

 

New Music USA is proud to announce the recipients of The New Music Capacity Building Program, made possible by The New York Community Trust. This two-year capacity-building program is designed for a diverse cohort of small sized groups committed to presenting, performing, or promoting new music by living music creators on a regular basis. This new program will combine financial support with professional development opportunities to aid ten NYC-based organizations as they navigate their way through the next stages of COVID 19 and beyond. The ten arts organizations are:

  • New Amsterdam Records
  • Die Jim Crow Records
  • Mantra Percussion, Inc.
  • Experiments in Opera
  • Yarn/Wire
  • Continuum Culture & Arts
  • Five Boroughs Music Festival
  • Jazz Passengers Music Projects, Inc.
  • ShoutHouse
  • The Rhythm Method

The program will offer a flexible approach to the selected groups or organizations; each will receive $5,000 per year for two years, for a total of $10,000 each, in order to implement organizational plans that they will design in consultation with New Music USA staff and industry experts. Program content will be dictated by the participating organizations. At this stage, we are expecting the following topics to be of importance: audience development, fundraising, digital marketing and presentation, equity and inclusion, peer collaboration, and scenario planning.

Our overarching goal is to create a supportive space through which a cohort of artist-led organizations can learn together, sharing the unique challenges and opportunities they face.

Vanessa Reed, President and CEO of New Music USA, says: “This new program demonstrates our belief that – alongside financial help – connectivity, learning, and sharing of experience can be transformative for organizations within our community as they develop plans for uncertain times. I am extremely grateful to The New York Community Trust for giving us this opportunity to focus exclusively on the grass roots of our ecosystem: small music collectives and organizations which enrich the city’s infrastructure through their imagination, flexibility, and vast network of associated artists. Congratulations to these exceptional organizations! We hope to bring this program to other US cities in the near future.”

New Music USA is very grateful to our New Music Capacity Building Program panelists comprised of Adam Rudolph from Go Organic Orchestra; Jennifer Kessler from International Contemporary Ensemble; Josh Henderson, violinist, violist, and composer; Mi Ryung Song from Aspen Music Festival and School; and Rio Sakairi from The Jazz Gallery.