Interplay Orchestra has been awarded a Paul R. Judy Center for Innovation and Research Grant to launch its Youth Program, an initiative designed to provide children and teens with intellectual, developmental, and other disabilities with inclusive opportunities for music education and performance. Founded 36 years ago, Interplay Orchestra is a fully inclusive ensemble of adult musicians with disabilities, dedicated to enriching the lives of its members through weekly rehearsals at the Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda, Maryland, and virtually via Zoom. Interplay’s Youth Program will extend Interplay’s inclusive model to young musicians, offering ensemble-based instruction in percussion, and eventually woodwind, brass, and string instruments. Beyond building musical skills, the program emphasizes socialization, confidence, and belonging, providing young participants with the chance to perform publicly and demonstrate their abilities. Unlike a traditional music therapy program, Interplay’s Youth Program prioritizes artistic and educational outcomes, preparing students for public performances and fostering lifelong engagement in music. This initiative addresses a significant gap in the greater Washington, D.C., area, offering an affordable, inclusive, and performance-focused ensemble experience for youth with disabilities.

The Tetra String Quartet (Jenna Dalbey) won a Paul R Judy Center for Innovation and Research Grant for their project “Songs of Change: Empowering Incarcerated Youth Through Music.” The Tetra String Quartet began working with incarcerated populations in 2011 when they performed for the Prison Entrepreneurship Program in Cleveland, Texas. In 2015, Tetra launched a partnership with Maricopa County’s Durango Juvenile Detention Center (DJDC) by providing educational concerts for their community. Tetra worked closely with Durango’s leadership and staff to cultivate a curriculum that meets their needs. In 2021, Tetra expanded their residency by joining forces with local changemaker rapper Colby Jeffers to present three hour song/rap writing workshops for DJDC youth six times a year.

Scott Lykins ’09E, ’11E (MM) won a Paul R Judy Center for Innovation and Research Grant for Lakes Area Music Festival’s 2025 season. The Lakes Area Music Festival sparks connections between its central Minnesota community and the nation’s top classical performers to create transformative musical experiences. Now in its 17th annual season, the Lakes Area Music Festival (LAMF) brings over 200 of the world’s top classical musicians to rural central Minnesota for three weeks of chamber music and orchestral performances, as well as an original opera production. In addition to its main stage concerts, LAMF fills this rural area with opportunities for education and enrichment areas including a week-long day camp for elementary-aged kids, free community events, and an outreach initiative which brings performances to jails, domestic abuse shelters, and elder care facilities. The festival was founded by Scott, and John Taylor Ward ’10E.

Catie Hickey ’07E won a Paul R Judy Center for Innovation and Research Grant to support Brass Beyond’s Statewide Side-by-Side. The Statewide Side-By-Side will be a one day event of workshops and performances hosted on an Illinois university campus. The side by side model emphasizes the “windows and mirrors” concept of mentorship first piloted by Emily Style in 1988. Style affirms that in order to imagine a future self, students need to see their own personal identities reflected in the mentors they encounter on their learning journey. The day will include a warm-up session, instrument-specific masterclass, panel with invited guest artists, and rehearsal/performance component of brass ensemble music that represents differentiated performing levels and female/gender expansive composers.

 

The Rising Artist Foundation elevates a broad spectrum of voices in American music. Their grant will support their project, “Fourth River,” an autumn 2025 collaboration between nonprofit The Rising Artist Foundation and established local music collective, Honcho. Named in homage to the city’s underground, essential aquifer, this program will help artists nourish and navigate their creative careers with clarity. The program will offer financial, creative and professional support to Pittsburgh’s vibrant music community.

 

Hilary Glen and a group of cellist educators won a PRJC grant to support Resonance: A Multicultural Cello method. These method books will offer a sequential approach to learning the cello from beginner to advanced levels using primarily Latin, African, Asian, Native American, and Middle Eastern music. The final product will include cello parts, piano accompaniments, ensemble parts, piece descriptions, audio and video recordings, and an interactive website.

“The QUEEN-tet Project: a Symphonic Drag Story Hour” is a collaboration between Tara Hoot, an award-winning DC-based drag queen, and District5, a wind quintet committed to promoting new works. This story hour creates a novel exploration into unconventional storytelling through the melding of drag and classical music. The show includes readings of banned books and centers around the commission of a work for wind quintet + drag queen by composer Christen Taylor Holmes depicting Hoot’s life advice from a drag queen’s perspective.

One City Jazz from the VanderCook College of Music won a $5,000 grant to support their new drumline. One City addresses systemic inequity in music education by providing high quality instruments and expert instruction at no cost to children from underserved BIPOC neighborhoods where instrumental music is not provided in the public schools. Those who stick with the program until the end of 8th grade get to keep the instrument to use in high school and beyond. Over 120 children attend every Saturday and play in 1 of 3 jazz ensembles, our Suzuki violin program, or the new drum line. Our world-class, majority BIPOC artistic leadership team composes original repertoire for the program that draws on the rich musical heritage of our neighborhood Bronzeville. Currently, the drumline students are using drum pads to develop basic drumming technique, rhythm reading skills, and build a warm, welcoming ensemble rapport where high standards and expectations are supported and nurtured. Congratulations to Eastman alumna Leah Schuman ’96E (MM) ’01E (DMA) on her leadership of this program (pictured)!

Walker West Music Academy won a $5,000 grant to support Stringocracy! Call and Response as Social Activism from Vivaldi to Hip Hop – Stringocracy! In conjunction with the national election and the energy from young people to engage in social justice efforts to foster social impact, this project culminates in a 90-minute concert that explores social activism through a “call & response” approach from a cross-section of music genres rooted in the African/African American cultural experience. The ensemble of high school string students will explore improvisation, a highly democratic dialectic form, as expressions of identity through their music performance.

The heart of the Sampaguita Filipino Flute Project is to create visibility for and raise cultural awareness of Filipino classical music, as well as demonstrate the power of creating community through music. The recording of the Sampaguita Filipino Flute Project, and recital tour, will showcase classical music written and inspired by Filipino composers. This album is intended to bring attention to an underrepresented community and the culture of Philippine artists.

Based in Harlem, NY, Sugar Hill Salon Chamber Music is one of the first chamber music series and artistic collectives that centers on black and brown woodwind artistry in classical music. Through commissioning chamber works and monthly concerts featuring artists on the scene, Sugar Hill Salon is decolonizing classical music for a more equitable future for black and brown artists and their communities. PRJC funding is supporting Sugar Hill Salon’s interdisciplinary Jackie Robinson Park concerts in Harlem from May – July of their 2023-2024 season.

Guerilla Opera of Boston, Massachusetts, Aliana de la Guardia, Artistic Director, was awarded $10,000 from the Institute for Music Leadership to support the production of Her | alive.un.dead.  This opera, written by Emily Koh with direction from Mo Zhou, is a surrealist, sci-fi drama about two Chinese-American women who meet in the afterlife and discover a deep familial connection.  Guerilla Opera (GO) is a BIPOC and feminist organization, Boston’s only experimental chamber opera ensemble, and one of only a few in the world with a mission to exclusively present new experimental works of opera theater.

Passionate about generating increased diversity and inclusivity in music, violinist Kathryn Brown has focused on finding innovative ways to make classical music more accessible to children. In her efforts to reach this unique audience, she created Kiana, an 8-year-old Black girl, as the central character in a children’s book about a first-time visit to the symphony. In Kiana Goes to the Orchestra, Kiana experiences the culture and excitement surrounding a night at a classical concert. Both children and their parents are introduced to the special practices of concert attendance that may be unfamiliar, such as refraining from clapping between movements of a symphony. Through the publication of her work, Kathryn hopes that black and brown children will learn from an early age that they are both welcome and encouraged engage in this exciting part of our artistic culture. She has used this grant to both illustrate and begin the publication of her book.

The world of commissioned art and music can be seemingly straight forward but dangerous. Oftentimes large institutions are concerned about the financial risks associated with a “new” commission. Some of these negative associations come from the lack of dialogue, information, or planning. When combined with new types of artists entering historically white, male spaces, it can leave larger room for error or miscommunication. Vanessa and her team will use the PRJC grant to create a playbook to cover various questions about contracts, alignment of goals, how to propose your ideas, equitable pay, encouraging future performances and more. This resource also encourages more dialogue as it acknowledges there is not a “one-size fits all” for commissions and examples are provided as well.

While developments are being made, the classical music industry still holds a tradition of operation and support that is predominantly white. Historically, classical music was approached as a means to status, hierarchy, and social class; the industry, as a result, has been slow to acknowledge how these forces have shaped the racial landscape of classical music. Ayden Adler used the PRJC grant to conduct archival research in Boston to use in their book titled Orchestrating Whiteness: Arthur Fiedler, Serge Koussevitzky, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. This research will enhance Adler’s understanding of the history of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. With this knowledge, Adler can contextualize the thinking of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and how it has supported systemic racial favortism in orchestral settings up and through the 20^th century.

Vó·ce Veläta (“veiled voice”) was founded in Fall 2020 to address systemic racism within the music education. Currently, the youth ensemble of Vó·ce Veläta is focused on the exploration of the music of BIPOC and women composers. They aim to use anti-oppressive approaches and principles that recognize the hierarchies based on power and privilege. Some of these specific activities include researching composers, student-led rehearsals, performance, and arts leadership development. Additionally, they developed music educator resources which will help will shaping the musical curriculum so that educators can consistently work towards unlearning unconscious biases.

While diverse music resources are being increasingly acknowledged as an essential part of music curriculum, there remains a strong emphasis to teach Western classical music, primarily in beginning and intermediate instruction. Lisa Caravan and colleagues have worked to enhance a cultural understanding within the American music industry by increasing repertoire that celebrates the diverse ethnic, cultural, and gender identities. Currently P-12 music education standards focus on the processes of creating, performing, responding, and connecting. Through pilot studies on both Western classical music and diverse classical music, students focused on each of these steps equally, instead of solely focusing on performing. The PRJC has allowed Caravan and colleagues to commission new pieces to generate a more diverse collection of repertoire and enrich music education.

WindSync used their PRJC grant to host a multigenerational concert to motivate and retain beginning music students, encourage families to feel welcome to attending, and to begin students’ musical lives with a feeling of representation. To make this concert happen, WindSync partnered with Houston Youth Symphony, elementary schools, and programs promoting youth music education. Additionally, WindSync visited schools during their after-school programs to rehearse, provided free transportation, and presented the program in both English and Spanish to increase accessibility. Finally, their concert included a commissioned work, Two Steppin’ by Mason Bynes, who is an emerging Black composer from Houston. With all these components, WindSync hopes to draw future musicians to the stage and connect the dots for young people and provides racial equity through their artistic representation.

The Overlook is a string quartet that uses chamber music to amplify the music of Black composers historically and in the modern era via commission. Their hope is to expand the classical music canon to better represent the accomplishments of all. “If the Stars Align” was the second of a three-part free concert series. This three-concert festival represented four centuries of string quartet music by Black composers, with a spotlight on a living composer. Additionally, each concert featured a guest composer, historian, or storyteller, allowing the audience to experience a deeper connection with each piece, each performance, and the community at large. Finally, each of the quartet’s members spoke about the pieces presented by offering information about each composer’s inspirations and influences, and creating a more personalized experience between the audience and the performance.

Sonic Murals was created in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old black man in August of 2020 in Kenosha, which sparked protests of the excessive use of force by law enforcement against people of color. Fifth House Ensemble (5HE) and Kenosha Creative Space worked together to create Sonic Murals, a large public art project rooted in the voices of Kenosha citizens and combined storytelling through visual and performance media. Additionally, a series of virtual community conversations were started to create debate, dialogue, and action. In essence, this mural was aimed to share the experiences of the community, connect with one another, and build that agency and empowerment.

Many journalists and music critics have described female conductors as hitting a glass ceiling where as it could better be described as a leaking pipeline. When pursuing a conducting career, many women consider their experience, mentorship, knowing they can be in leadership roles, seeing female role models, and having female mentors all to be important aspects of their decision-making process. These results are then compounded when racial and ethnic differences are considered as they can affect opportunities or act as barriers in a career as a conductor. To research this, Tanatchaya and Chaowen conducted interviews with women of color to learn about their interests in conducting and their experience with the profession. Thus, they are able to better understand what resources are needed to flourish professionally and what aspects of the profession can be reformed.

The Chicago Arts and Music Project (CAMP) used the PRJC grant to support a composition residency at the Ear Taxi Festival. Historically orchestras have only served the white, educated elite so much so that it was almost impossible to find evidence of racial diversity. Now many schools require some form of the arts however, many lack the resources to include music. Therefore, students of color lack the opportunity to study instrumental music until it is too late. CAMP aims to remove these barriers by providing an opportunity for students in Chicago to work on compositions with professionals and have their music performed.

The Street Symphony (SS) in conjunction with The Midnight Mission (TMM) hosts the annual “Messiah Project” to celebrate the resilience of the Skid Row and how it is a lifeline to the community and humanity. In 2021, the project was expanded into a festival where 12 outdoor workshop events were present in addition to the Messiah Project. Some of the ensembles and events included a reggae ensemble, a West-African drumming group, a community choir, an all-female Mariachi ensemble, and more. This festival and project aligned with the SS mission to uplift the stories of resilience and community through music and relay everything that was overcome.

Margaret’s project included poets, composers, and performers that were in various places in their creative process. Each part of this project focused on a different part of the creation process. The first focus was on the creation of the three interdisciplinary ensembles (poet, composer, vocalist, and pianist); the second was the creation of new poetry and music; the third was a podcast focused on the process, and the fourth was a virtual concert focused on the poem, score, and recording. In addition to being mixed media, the central theme of the project was inclusion in terms of the participants but also the direction of the projects. Each ensemble featured BIPOC individuals and their projects explored topics such as racism, immigrant experiences, LBGTQ+ experiences, disability inclusion, and more. Finally, the audience was able to experience the ensembles creative processes as they created their final project which is unusual for these types of media.

The Umoja Flute Institute (UFI) is a summer series that provides its members workshops, performances, and professional development opportunities. The institute has the following goals; providing flutists of African descent with the tools needed to succeed and thrive at all levels of music-making, foster an international community, celebrate flutists from African descent, and expose flutists to diverse experiences and opportunities. UFI used the PRJC grant to launch a website and use a virtual event management software for the institute’s hub for applicants and participants. This grant allowed UFI to focus on creating an inclusive space and give Black student access to education resources and become a foundation for Black children to enter the flute world. In sum, the UFI aims to strengthen the Black flute community and increase representation in field.

SOLI Chamber Ensemble is an internationally recognized award-winning chamber ensemble that used the PRJC grant to fund a collaboration between Laureate Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson and Darian Thomas. Together they worked on a 30-minute work for SOLI, electronics, vocalist (singing, rapping, and narrating), and dancer. This project shared the BIPOC experience in the past, present and future, and served as a means of education and a pathway for the future citizens and leaders. The completion of the project included video documentation of the rehearsals, workshops, and premier to be shared in a documentary for film festivals and beyond.

The Black Lives Matter movement had spotlighted the lack of diversity in professional symphony orchestras where only 1.8% of the musicians are Black. Additionally, the New York Times noted that a lot of classical music is not relevant to Black audiences because historically orchestras were staffed by almost only white men and the repertoire also reflects that. To address these issues, the Texas Chamber Symphony looks for ways to integrate the orchestra with the community and adopt the Brooklyn Model, a music model developed by the Brooklyn orchestra. To continue their efforts, the Texas Chamber Symphony staged a concert and appointed a local popular music in-state artist and included selections from living black and/or woman composers. This concert is the first step in lowering some of the barriers and creates connections between symphony orchestras and their communities to try to attract a more diverse audience.

When Dalanie Harris transferred to the Eastman School of Music from the University of Rochester, they found it difficult to transition. Coming from a community that was mostly Black and 95% people of color, they found no opportunities to study with Black professors, a lack of Black classical artist representation, and no Black Student Union. It was their African American Studies at the University of Rochester that kept them grounded and led them to question the duality of their college experience and if there was a way to combine it. This inspired the creation of the Classically Black Podcast, a weekly podcast that blended humor, classical music, Black history, and culture. To expand on their podcast, Harris used the PRJC grant to complete a research project that focused on the contributions of Black musicians to American music in the racialized society we know today. By focusing on Black artists, Harris highlights the role in which Black culture has contributed to music today and the relationship between race and music.

New Music, New Work sheds light on the active role that performers working in innovative new music ensembles play in shaping both aesthetic and ethical priorities in the field of contemporary music. Viewing music as a social practice, New Music New Work considers how performers, composers, performing arts administrators, audiences, critics, and granting agencies as well as ensemble members respond to shifting priorities in the field of contemporary music. Increasingly, equity for underrepresented voices, and the ability of creative projects to speak to diverse musical communities is a major priority for many involved in contemporary music–– whether as creators, consumers, or advocates. Research for this project combined interviews and fieldwork with new music performers, composers, and administrators working with innovative ensembles in New York City, along with participation in the NYC-based new music scene as a listener, supporter, and scholar. Some of the organizations involved included the International Contemporary Ensemble, Either/Or Ensemble, Yarn/Wire, Ensemble Pamplemousse, Wet Ink Ensemble, Ensemble Signal, Talea Ensemble, NOW Ensemble, New Music USA, Miller Theatre, Blank Forms, and EMPAC.

This project explores, within the context of conservatory training, the “psychological, cultural, historical, and artistic issues in the practice of chamber music in the twenty-first century” (Dogantan-Dack 2019). Building on a formulation of educational modes for training portfolio musicians, this research investigates what constitutes chamber music in the 21st century. How does repertoire, personnel, venue, and listener-performer-composer agency define it? Most importantly, how do or can conservatory curriculums deliver such a new definition for their emerging professionals? The findings serve the larger purpose of understanding the innovative role chamber music plays in contemporary collaborative music-making and listening, responding to current hypotheses and discourses on the empathic nature of music.

This research had two intertwined goals for findings: first, to understand pedagogy regarding the empathic nature of chamber music, focusing on musical collaboration in 21st-century portfolio contexts; and second, to articulate how conservatories, in an increasingly gig-driven economy, are and might better prepare students for a portfolio career. The findings were published in the “The Chamber Musician in the Twenty-First Century,” edited by Mine Dogantan-Dack at the University of Cambridge (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute: Basel).

An essential element in this research was to gather comparative data from institutions committed to innovative chamber music training in this century. One goal was to interview faculty, students, and staff at two such institutions: New England Conservatory (NEC) and the Berklee College of Music. Both of these institutions provide exemplary chamber music training for their students. NEC underscores community engagement, while Berklee prioritizes the contemporary and music industry.

Incantare launched a series of concerts called EXILE that trace the paths of populations forced into diaspora during the Renaissance and early Baroque periods, specifically refugees of war, plague, and famine; victims of cultural and political shifts; and underrepresented musicians.

Incantare’s two inaugural EXILE concerts took place in New Jersey and New York City as a pair at Rutgers University and the Center for Jewish History in March 2020. They highlighted the paths of Jewish populations as they shifted and melded with musical traditions in Italy, England, and Germany. EXILE took as its starting point the rich musical cultures fostered by Jews in early modern Italy and their points of contact with non-Jewish traditions. From there, they touched on the influences of Italian, German, and English music and Jewish culture, highlighting Jewish musicians, the non-Jewish composers they influenced, and composers who inspired innovations in Jewish composition. The purpose of the program was to draw attention to the mutual influences of the early modern European Jewish experience – to break down preconceptions of Jewish music and culture and explore the implications of diaspora on Jewish artistic legacy.

The concerts were free and open to the public, welcoming all audiences throughout the New Jersey and New York metropolitan areas. Incantare’s core members were joined by singer-specialists Molly Quinn, Clara Osowski, Garrett Eucker, and Jonathan Woody; scholar-performer Dongmyung Ahn, violin, and musicologist Dr. Rebecca Cypess playing harpsichord and organ.

John Pippen’s research examines how race and class shape labor dynamics within Chicago’s new music ensembles. Building on prior fieldwork and existing studies of the profession, he anticipated that most musicians and employees in these innovative ensembles would come from predominantly white, middle- to upper-class backgrounds. His project challenges merit-based narratives often found in arts entrepreneurship and instead highlights how structural inequalities influence access and success in the field. By conducting a detailed survey with around sixty participants, Pippen collected data on race, income, education, and familial background to better understand “portfolio careers” in the creative sector. Collaborating with the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences (IRISS) at Colorado State University, he designed a mixed-methods study to analyze patterns of identity and labor. His work contributes a more nuanced perspective on how social markers affect professional experiences in new music and connects these findings to broader trends in cultural labor and the global economy.

In a bold collaboration, Burning River Baroque and the Blue Streak Ensemble united for Cycles of Creation and Annihilation, a thought-provoking program that merged stunning music with urgent environmental themes. Inspired by the fiery history of Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River, which burned over a dozen times before catalyzing sweeping environmental reform, this immersive performance series used music to ignite meaningful conversations about climate change and humanity’s impact on the planet. Performed in Cleveland, Youngstown, and Northeast Ohio, the program bridged centuries of music and thought. At its core was Margaret Brouwer’s Light, a rich tapestry of voices and instruments that explored creation, destruction, and renewal in both nature and the cosmos. The program also featured powerful selections from Bach and Telemann, a riveting piece on ethics by Kate Soper, and a new work by Malina Rauschenfels, a heartfelt promise to the Earth. With every note, Burning River Baroque and the Blue Streak Ensemble continue their mission: to harness the power of music as a force for reflection, dialogue, and lasting social change.

Mocrep culminates a residency with the Civic Orchestra or Chicago by presenting a concert of two brand new devised works and a new version of Jessica Anne’s Jane Ate Soup in Buntrock Hall at Symphony Center.

In collaboration with the Friends of the Chicago River, 5th House Ensemble hosted a celebration of the Chicago River system and featured a newly commissioned work, a K-6 assembly program, and a educational residency at two schools for grades 6-8.

Continuing the research/development phase with the end goal to create an evening-length, theatrical and musical story that experiments with binaural technology (a three-dimensional soundscape with audience in headphones).

The New World Symphony, America’s Orchestral Academy (NWS), offered its Fellows several opportunities to create musical interactions with audiences inside the concert hall and in the community. These opportunities—collectively referred to as the New Audience Fellow Initiative—include Community Projects, Double Take Concerts, and Affinity Concerts.

NWS is a laboratory for how classical music is taught, presented and experienced in the 21st century. To create new points of entry into classical music for newer, younger, and more diverse audiences, NWS strives to imagine and present concert experiences that intentionally depart from traditional performances. In that spirit, the New Audience Fellow Initiative challenges Fellows to experiment by designing (with staff help) their own concerts and events.

Nief-Norf’s first year-round concert series brought new music to venues within the greater Knoxville community. An expansion of the summer festival (nnSF) program, the concert series will featured six curated performances by nnSF faculty, including a combination of professionals (Nief-Norf faculty/staff) and student performers. This combination offers young musicians professional experience while performing at a world-class level, while bringing new music to the urban Knoxville area. All concerts were free and open to the public, with the
exception of the Big Ears Festival.

Megan Steigerwald Ille is a scholar of contemporary opera whose research explores how experimental operatic performances attract new audiences by reshaping institutional narratives around the genre. Her work builds on existing scholarship while focusing on how innovative production models impact both performers and audiences. Her book project, Hipster Opera: American Identity, Digital Media, and Experimental Performance, examines the intersection of opera, digital media, and American cultural identity. Through case studies of Opera Philadelphia’s O17 and O18 Festivals, the Los Angeles-based company The Industry, and The Mile-Long Opera by David Lang and Diller Scofidio + Renfro, she analyzes the stories these performances tell about opera in the 21st century. Her research highlights the tensions between innovation and tradition, corporate support and grassroots creativity, and cultural prestige and public accessibility. By incorporating ethnographic methods and focusing on artists, producers, and audiences, her work offers a critical new lens on the evolving dynamics of operatic performance in the digital age

Exposure is a bold reimagining of Thomas Hardy’s The Pursuit of the Well-Beloved, exploring the intersection of art, power, and the evolving image of the “ideal woman.” Set across three pivotal decades, the 1970s, 1990s, and today, this opera unfolds through the lens of a female model’s portrait sessions, examining how beauty, perception, and agency shift across time. Composer Daniel Felsenfeld and librettist Bea Goodwin, both seasoned voices in contemporary opera, shine a spotlight on the dynamics between artist and muse, particularly in an age reckoning with the legacy of #MeToo. Inspired by Hardy’s structure of three 20-year intervals, Exposure captures the cultural pulse of each era—framed by the political turbulence of Nixon, Clinton, and our current moment—while confronting how women have been shaped, silenced, and sometimes shattered by the gaze of the artist and the media alike. This work is an invitation to question the power structures behind image-making and to reflect on the untold stories of those caught in their frame. By centering female voices, Exposure challenges traditional narratives and opens space for dialogue around consent, identity, and the cost of being seen.

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JACK operates as a nonprofit organization dedicated to the performance, commissioning, and spread of new string quartet music. Dedicated to education, the quartet spends two weeks each summer teaching at New Music on the Point, a contemporary chamber music festival in Vermont for young performers and composers.

The time spans festival presents a concert featuring JACK and engineers from the SWR Experimental studio in Freiburg, Germany performing works by Felipe Lara, Sabrina Schroede, and Georg Friedrich Haas. All three works feature interactive electronic instruments that were developed in Freiburg and can only be performed with the expertise of engineers from the SWR Experimental studio.

The Mivos quartet, which includes three Eastman alumni, has spent their first decade devoted to performing works of contemporary composers and presenting new music to diverse audiences.

This project was a three-day festival highlighting some of their favorite and most meaningful collaborations and projects. Each evening consisted of a short opening set by a friend and collaborator of the ensemble, followed by a set of music performed and curated by the quartet with special guests.

Praised by the New York Times for its “conviction, authority, and finesse,” the Chicago-based Fifth House Ensemble harnesses the collaborative spirit of chamber music to reach beyond the traditionally perceived limits of classical music. The ensemble’s artistic, educational, and civic programs engage theater groups, video game designers, corporate innovators, and folk bands to share stories as diverse as the communities it serves.

The project tells the story of Tuvan music and culture, framing the idea that folk
music is equally about preservation and participation. They explore how folk
music comes to exist, how it is assimilated, disseminated, and appropriated by other cultures, why it matters to a people, how it retains its identity while blending with a wide variety of influences, and how it has survived and responded to various threats.

This project was a case study and ethnography on the Ecstatic Music Festival, a
series of concerts that began in 2011 that features collaborations between
innovative “indie-classical” ensembles and non-traditional bands set in an
“uptown,” traditional concert hall in New York City.

The Ecstatic Music Festival markets this music and the artists as “ecstatic,”
turning the focus away from the music’s complexity or musical materials and onto feelings the music and artists can create for listeners. This research will help us understand how and why this music creates meaning and value for listeners in the 21st century.

Theatrical Chamber Music Performances at National Sawdust

Collaboration with puppet/theater company La Coperacha

Concerts at Aeronaut Brewery, Somerville, MA

Immersive Concert Experience at National Sawdust

The Lakota Music Project is the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra’s flagship Bridging Cultures Program. Created between 2005-2008, the Lakota Music Project (LMP) addresses a history of racial tension, builds bridges between whites and American Indians, and creates an environment of openness through the sharing of music. Essentially, it is a practical demonstration between white and American Indian musicians to advance cultural understanding. 

The LMP concert program features combinations of South Dakota Symphony musicians, the Creekside Singers, a Lakota drumming group, and Dakota cedar flutist Bryan Akipa, each performing music of their heritages as well as unique repertoire commissioned for the musicians to play together. To date, four works and one arrangement for Lakota artists and SDSO musicians have been commissioned for the LMP.

Ryan Ebright is a musicologist who specializes in American opera and contemporary music. In his research project “New Music Theater, New Music Ensembles”, he investigates the impact of chamber theater works being scored for specific ensembles, and why ensembles are undertaking these theatrical pieces. He also investigates what this means regarding the expansion of the concept of opera and music theatre, and the challenges that come with it.

Yarn/Wire Currents is an ongoing commissioning series inaugurated in 2013. Focused on the creation of new works specifically for Yarn/Wire, the series serves as an incubator for experimentation; a diverse range of American and international musicians, artists and composers explore intersections of composition, technology, installation, improvisation, live performance, music theater and more, in an effort to expand the ensemble’s performance practice and reflect music’s fluidity and reach. The project has been co-presented by Issue Project Room as well as Blank Forms. Premieres are released on the ensemble’s own imprint via bandcamp, and viewable on youtube.

Research project on hip consumerism and Indy Symphony/New Amsterdam Partnership

An installation/performance using homemade audience-held synthesizers, in partnership with composer Danny Clay, designer Simon Pyle and artist Xuan.

As a solo percussion work: Ferry performs ON|OFF on solo vibraphone with a handful of audience members slowly changing their instruments’ volume knob on a pre-tuned chord.

As a site-specific installation: ON|OFF highlights the interactions between spaced-out synthesizers that change with an audience member’s movement.

As a fully interactive performance art piece, ON|OFF relies on the audience’s actions with the synthesizers in interaction with projected prompts for the work to organically unfold.