NEA Good News

Congratulations to these ACSO members:

Berkeley Symphony: $15,000  

To support the Music in the Schools initiative. Project plans will include classroom visits by musicians, curriculum guides for teachers, school concerts with students rehearsing and performing side-by-side with orchestra musicians, and Family Concerts. The orchestra staff will work in collaboration with Berkeley Unified School District music teachers and staff to plan overall themes, select repertoire, and ensure the initiative aligns with state and national educational standards.

Philharmonic Society of Orange County: $10,000 

To support the Discovery Series. The series of artist residencies will feature performances and educational activities by chamber ensembles and emerging musicians. The residencies will feature artists such as eighth blackbird, the Meccorre String Quartet, cellist Julie Albers, pianist Orion Weiss, instrumentalist, composer, and conductor Jordi Savall, and harpist Andrew Lawrence-King. Activities will include master classes, a composer symposium, workshops, clinics, classroom visits, and performances in diverse venues.

Tulare County Symphony: $10,000  

To support an educational performance and rural outreach project. The orchestra will present its annual Youth Education Concert Series for elementary school children. The project will include a classroom education module, an interactive multimedia component, and will culminate in live orchestral concerts in several of Tulare County's largest incorporated cities, such as Porterville, Tulare, and Visalia. The orchestra will create a classroom toolkit and conduct workshops to engage rural school districts throughout the county.

San Diego Youth Symphony: $30,000 

To support an effort to expand access to music education for Chula Vista students. A community-wide initiative of the San Diego Youth Symphony's Community Opus Project, an El Sistema-inspired program, the project will develop long- term sustainability for in-school music instruction by hiring a school district instrument specialist, providing musical instruments, linking in-school and after-school music programs, and documentation of best practices. With project partners Chula Vista Elementary School District and the VH-1 Save the Music Foundation, the symphony has created an opportunity to bolster public school music education in the district.