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OrchKids—the BSO-sponsored, after-school music program—has been awarded a Getty Education and Community Investment Grant. Here are the details from the BSO...
The grant of $17,500 has been awarded to develop the orchestra’s OrchKids program, which currently provides nearly 600 Baltimore City students with music lessons, tutoring and after-school care. The grant recognizes Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s innovation and dedication to increasing its relevance to the community.
“We are honored to receive this funding, as it validates on a national scale the impact we are having locally,” said BSO President and CEO, Paul Meecham. “OrchKids is benefitting the lives of hundreds of youth in our region.”
“More and more orchestras all over the country are finding innovative ways to help address community needs through music,” said League President and CEO Jesse Rosen. “The Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation’s commitment to encourage these important educational and community engagement programs is a great boost to orchestras’ ability to provide community relevance beyond the concert hall,” he commented.
A prerequisite for qualifying orchestras was the existence of partnerships with local cultural and/or community organizations, such as schools or social service providers. This year’s grants, part of a new three-year, $1.5 million re-granting program from the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, will fund both new and established innovative programs including: long-term in-school partnerships and afterschool programs; health and wellness initiatives in hospitals, rehabilitation facilities and nursing homes; and programs for the underserved and underprivileged, including incarcerated youth.
