“Budding young musicians will gather at the Gail Borden Library in downtown Elgin Saturday morning to attend a master class taught by clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein, who will be performing this weekend with the Elgin Symphony Orchestra,” writes Mike Danahey in Thursday’s (3/2) Courier-News (Elgin, Ill.). “Library patrons will be able to watch the proceedings, giving them an insight into the world of classical music. That session is due in part to a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, symphony leadership and staff said. As missions of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra include education and making classical music accessible to a broader audience, the class provides example of how NEA funding is used.… Elgin Symphony Orchestra Music Director Andrew Grams said that … the focus should be on the American jobs NEA grants help provide and the return on investment that comes through such funding. Grams said that in addition to the potential for Fiterstein’s class to inspire students and make class-watchers enthusiastic about music … the city would get money from the ESO hall rental, from the sale of the snacks and beverages in the lobby and from taxes on drinks and meals to be had by ESO patrons.”
Posted March 6, 2017
