2020 – Institute for Music Leadership

Dalanie Harris: Black Music in a Racialized Society

Kristijan Bogdanovski — Sat, 03 Oct 2020 23:09:00 +0000

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.

Jacqueline Cordova-Arrington: THE UMOJA FLUTE INSTITUTE/VIRTUAL SUMMER SERIES

Kristijan Bogdanovski — Sat, 03 Oct 2020 23:09:00 +0000

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.

Margaret Hinchliffe: How it’s (Musically) Made

Kristijan Bogdanovski — Sat, 03 Oct 2020 23:09:00 +0000

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.

Anne Schelleng: Thomas/Sanderson Project

Kristijan Bogdanovski — Sat, 03 Oct 2020 23:09:00 +0000

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.

Michael Drapkin: Combatting Systemic Racism in the Symphony Orchestra Using the Brooklyn Model

Kristijan Bogdanovski — Sat, 03 Oct 2020 23:09:00 +0000

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.

Travon Walker: representation Matters: Bringing Classical Music Into Schools through a BIPOC Lens

Kristijan Bogdanovski — Sat, 03 Oct 2020 23:09:00 +0000

It is important that musicians are represented in the music they play. Travon aimed to accomplish this through the lens of BIPOC composers and musicians. He and the other musicians developed a program that featured music written by Black, Indigenous, and people of color. Then he reached out to school in the Rochester City School District with high populations of students of color and schools with high populations of white students. Each school performance included the music itself, online Zoom discussion, and presentations about the importance of representation in music. The goal was to give students a sense of belonging in classical music, develop student’s cultural enrichment, and strengthen the sense of community in the school and with Eastman. Due to COVID, all performances had to be online but Travon hopes that this can become an annual tradition and in the future the performances can be in-person so that the school children can meet with the students of Eastman.

Denin Koch: Re: Manhattan Project

Kristijan Bogdanovski — Fri, 03 Apr 2020 23:09:00 +0000

This ten-movement suite is inspired by the events and consequences of the atomic bomb from the 1940s. Denin’s piece includes both historical texts and poetry as well to guide the narrative and photos and videos to be displayed for each movement. On. August 6th, 2020, the 7thanniversary of the nuclear attack, the album was released and on August 7th, 2020 the performance was played at the Hanford REACH Museum committed to the preservation of the U.S. nuclear history. In essence, this piece aims to support unity and peace. Inspiring people to speak out in support of denuclearization and to think about the effects of war and violence. This piece balances differences between jazz and classical and expands the bounds of what “art music” can be. Funding for this project would help establish Denin as a performer and will be key in booking performances in the future and sharing his musical journey.

Christopher Amick: Formalization of Amick Percussion

Kristijan Bogdanovski — Wed, 04 Mar 2020 00:09:00 +0000

Instruments are not cheap. Amick Percussion aims to provide an affordable source of high-quality timpani mallets for college students, young professionals, and professors. Mallets typically cost anywhere from $78-$95 per pair whereas Amick Percussion charges a flat rate of $50 per timpani mallet pair. With the IML grant, Christopher formalized his business by becoming the sole proprietor, creating an online storefront, and running ad campaigns on various social media platforms. Expanding this way allows Christopher to extend beyond the people he knows and gives his business the potential to grow beyond just timpani mallets. He is planning to tackle more projects such as self-publishing, programing recital, or offering as a guest clinician.

Tristan Swihart: Detweiler Swihart Percussion Duo concert

Kristijan Bogdanovski — Wed, 04 Mar 2020 00:09:00 +0000

Tristan wants to change the narrative of what a percussionist does. To do this, he organized a percussion concert in his hometown to show his community what percussionists can do. This percussion concert will highlight different pieces from classical and contemporary music while also highlighting the percussive arts. Tristan advertisedthrough social media, word of mouth, and newspaper ads. He hopes that this will inspire young kids to join percussion programs and he hopes by seeing teachers and friends on stage that kids will be even more excited to join. Additionally, the Detweiler Swihart Duo will donate all the money from the ticket sales back to the local percussion programs and this will serve as their first duo concert which will help with booking venues in the future.