Tag: Grants and Funding

OpenAI Awards $40.5 Million to Nonprofits, Including Orchestras

Posted on December 5, 2025 by - News Briefs

In Wednesday’s (12/3) Associated Press, Thalia Beaty writes, “OpenAI has awarded $40.5 million to more than 200 nonprofits in the first round of grants it has made since it rebranded its nonprofit as the OpenAI Foundation in October…. OpenAI promised to grant out $50 million in July in response to the recommendations of an advisory commission they convened to offer feedback about how it should accomplish its mission of building safe artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity…. OpenAI asked groups to apply with projects that support AI literacy, strengthen civic life or foster economic opportunity. The awards were limited to nonprofits with an annual budget between $500,000 and $10 million.… The Three Rivers Young People’s Orchestras based in Pittsburgh received $90,000, which is 10% of its annual budget this year. Executive director Lindsey Nova said … her organization already uses ChatGPT as an assistant and drafting tool … Her organization, which runs multiple kinds of youth orchestras, proposed to use the funds to research the possibility of developing … apps. One would record rehearsals and add bookmarks when queued by the conductor. The goal would be to produce notes about what the conductor said during the rehearsal paired with the relevant clip of the rehearsal.”

Among the OpenAI grantees was the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, based in Park Forest, IL, which received $40,000. In a press release, the orchestra states that it “is keen to investigate utilizing the technology to enhance and bolster its mission and efforts…. ‘IPO champions live music and live arts experiences. IPO also recognizes AI’s potential to strengthen civic and cultural life, if applied thoughtfully,’ says IPO Executive Director Christina Salerno. ‘We see AI not as a replacement for human artistry, but as a tool to expand access, enhance participation, and amplify community voice.’ ”

CEO Isaac Thompson on the Business of Running the Minnesota Orchestra

Posted on December 4, 2025 by - News Briefs

In the November 21 Twin Cities Business, Erik Tormoen writes, “Isaac Thompson was a serious violinist. He played in the Minnesota Youth Symphony and earned a master’s in violin performance from the University of Texas at Austin. But … he moved into management, and he’s been exceptional at it. Thompson started as president and CEO of the Minnesota Orchestra last month. His administrative career has [included] … director of artistic administration for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra; managing director of the New York Philharmonic; and, most recently, president and CEO of the Oregon Symphony. Minnesota’s orchestra is in the same league, Thompson says. ‘This is one of the top orchestras in America—period, hands down.’ But by the numbers, it has not fully returned from pandemic-era deficits. Traffic last season trended 9% lower than pre-Covid levels. Even so, last season also notched record highs for the orchestra, across earned revenue and donations…. Earned revenue, at $11.6 million, rose year-over-year by 22%…. The organization nonetheless incurred an operating loss of $3.8 million… Thompson sounds up to the task: ‘The opportunity to come back to a vibrant community, which has a tradition of great cultural institutions, to lead one of the anchor arts organizations, was a thrilling opportunity.’ ”

The Florida Orchestra Receives $10 Million Gift

Posted on November 25, 2025 by - News Briefs

In Monday’s (11/24) Tampa Bay Business Journal, Alexis Muellner writes, “The Florida Orchestra has received a record-shattering $10 million gift from an anonymous donor, the largest single donation in its 58-year history. The donation signals confidence in the institution’s long-term future. The donor’s decision to remain anonymous underscores the nature of the gift, said Ignacio Barrón Viela, president and CEO of The Florida Orchestra. It is not for plugging holes in the annual fund. It’s earmarked as a strategic investment in the orchestra’s endowment, strengthening its financial foundation and signaling trust in its leadership, artistic excellence and role as a cultural anchor in Tampa Bay…. The donor was presented with a 10-year vision for the future. ‘That was a trigger for the donor to say, “I’m ready,” ’ Barrón Viela [said]… Last year, the orchestra announced two $1 million gifts … Barrón Viela believes in the power of music to continue to transform the community. ‘Music serves as a bridge for key issues,’ he said. ‘We are more active than ever in enhancing the number of partnerships we have,’ including education and mental health…. ‘[The gift] ensures that we can serve for many generations to come.’ ”

Arts Groups Declining NEA Grants in Light of Rules Restricting D.E.I. Initiatives

Posted on November 21, 2025 by - News Briefs

In Thursday’s (11/20) New York Times, Michaela Towfighi writes that “tensions around public funding for the arts [are emerging] after executive orders by President Trump restricted the use of federal grant money for projects that promote diversity, equity and inclusion.… Amid concerns over funding after the National Endowment of the Arts canceled a large percentage of its awards in May, organizations across the country have decided they would rather find money elsewhere than be subject to federal restrictions. The Denver Philharmonic Orchestra declined an $8,000 grant, citing concerns about diluting its D.E.I. work. The Portland Opera in Oregon said it would not apply for future federal grants if current restrictions remain in place. And in Troy, N.Y., the Arts Center of the Capital Region rejected a $50,000 grant because of what it called fears of censorship. Since August, more than 875 people and 270 organizations have signed a statement released by the National Coalition Against Censorship and the Vera List Center for Art and Politics that emphasized a need for art independence…. Michelle LaFlamme-Childs, the executive director of New Mexico’s arts council, said eight of about 220 applicants had declined funding this year, the first time she had seen groups do so.”

What Quality Makes Today’s American Orchestral Music American?

Posted on November 14, 2025 by - News Briefs

In Wednesday’s (11/12) Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Jeremy Reynolds writes, “Quite a few composers are writing quite a lot of music about the America 250 anniversary…. ‘How do we want to mark that? …’ said Julia Wolfe, a Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer … While … orchestras regularly premiere a new piece of music or several in a season, some have received public grants from the National Endowment for the Arts or other funders specifically to write music commemorating the occasion this season. So, who are the composers being called upon to mark the occasion? Aside from Wolfe, whose piece ‘Liberty Bell’ will be played by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra this weekend, there’s John Adams, Wynton Marsalis, Matthew Aucoin, Carlos Simon and Jessie Montgomery. There’s Kevin Puts, Mason Bates, Gabriela Lena Frank, Ellen Reid, Tania Leon, and Michael Abels…. Is there a unifying theme around the kinds of music being written in the classical world that could indicate an ‘American style?’… Critics and scholars toss words like ‘rock’ and ‘minimalism’ and ‘groove’ at [Wolfe’s] music, which, like all composers’, draws on a range of influences … There’s that word ‘minimalism’— it’s one of the dominant strains to emerge from American compositional schools in the past 50 years…. Ask a dozen composers and you’ll get a dozen different answers, but as we continue talking about American music this year, minimalism seems likely to be a recurrent thread.”

New Vice President, Development at League of American Orchestras: Sarah Generes

Posted on November 12, 2025 by - Who's In

Sarah Generes will join the League of American Orchestras as Vice President, Development. Generes will oversee all development activities for the League, working to raise the funds needed by the League for programs and activities that support the orchestra field and the art form. She will also be a contact point for development colleagues in member orchestras colleagues nationwide, providing them with resources, information, and convenings. Generes succeeds Marlah Bonner, who stepped down in August after five years in the post.

Generes has more than 25 years of experience in fundraising, strategic planning, artistic operations, and team leadership. As Director of Development at Northwestern University’s Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music, she oversaw all aspects of fundraising strategy and operations. Under her direction, the school exceeded its $65 million campaign goal—raising $72 million—and she recently led the school’s most successful fundraising year ever. Prior to that, Generes spent 20 years working in performing arts organizations throughout Chicago including Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Ravinia Festival. As Lyric Opera’s Director of Classical and Crossover Programming, she produced the nationally televised “Chicago Voices” gala. Generes holds degrees in English and vocal music from Vanderbilt University, and a certificate in Non-Profit Management through Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Business.

Read or download the full press release here.

School of Music at University of North Carolina School of the Arts Secures $10.1 Million Gift

Posted on October 29, 2025 by - News Briefs

In Tuesday’s (10/28) Triad Business Journal (Greensboro, North Carolina), Anna Blumenthal writes, “The University of North Carolina School of the Arts has received more than $15 million in gifts, contributing to transformational changes to the university, including the launch of a new program and updates to the university’s library. For its School of Music, UNCSA received the university’s largest lead gift in its history of more than $10.1 million from Winston-Salem residents Randall and Kamalakshi Dishmon to establish the American Roots Music Institute. When fully launched, UNCSA will offer a Bachelor of Music in American Roots, alongside a minor for undergraduates and opportunities for students in its high school. School of Music Dean Saxton Rose said that the university had been working with the Dishmons in the past couple of years about developing a program in which students who play instruments involved in American roots such as the banjo, the mandolin, or the fiddle, would have a place to study in the same way that there is a place to study for classical musicians in a structured conservatory training environment…. Rose … hopes that this program adds to the school of music students’ range of performance abilities to be able to secure jobs and be marketable.”

Washington Post Reports How Oboist Katherine Needleman Is Working to Expose Sexual Misconduct in Classical Music

Posted on October 21, 2025 by - News Briefs

In Sunday’s (10/19) Washington Post, Geoff Edgers writes, “A Baltimore Symphony Orchestra oboist, Katherine Needleman, 47, has gained 22,000 followers and millions of views for her scathing commentary about gender disparity in the orchestra world—and her practice of calling out specific men in the field for alleged sexual misconduct. She’s also been surprisingly effective at prompting managers to remove these men from their posts. It’s a controversial evolution of the #MeToo movement, which began with claims assessed in deeply reported investigative news stories or slowly litigated through the judicial system. Needleman and some fellow activists, though, simply take allegations straight to the court of public opinion, via social media. In Texas, a longtime Rice University horn professor abruptly retired after Needleman reposted an explicit photo he had sent to another woman. In Calgary, Alberta, two tenured symphony players—one of them a Grammy-winning oboist—were fired after Needleman published vulgar and sexist online exchanges that had been leaked to her…. Her tactics have drawn sharp public criticism from [some] fellow musicians … In the orchestra world, secrecy has always seemed paramount, from auditions to tenure deliberations. It’s part of a system developed to ensure that pure talent, not favoritism, will inform management’s decisions…. But what if Needleman had a point—that this careful process had become a kind of shield for the worst offenders, leaving the victims with no recourse?”

Elgin Symphony on the Rebound, Posts Budget Surplus

Posted on October 14, 2025 by - News Briefs

In Friday’s (10/10) Chicago Tribune, Mike Danahey writes, “The Elgin Symphony Orchestra launches its 76th season this weekend with a solid financial base and a growing audience—far from the near-bankruptcy they faced just four years earlier. CEO Marc Thayer said the ESO ended its fiscal year in June with a $100,000 surplus, despite operating expenses going up more than 4% in the last two years. For the first time in a decade, they ended the year in the black … Thayer became CEO in 2021, taking the helm when the symphony was dire financial shape and knocked for a loop by the pandemic…. A number of factors played a role in improving the symphony’s outlook … They reduced the number of concerts … cut expenses, reduced staff, employed new marketing techniques, and streamlined fundraising to target small groups of donors … ‘The four-year contract agreement (reached with the musicians) demonstrated to our funders that both the administration and the musicians were serious about the long-term success of the orchestra,’ Thayer said…. [The orchestra is] is playing bigger role in the community as well … all of which increases public awareness and emphasizes the ESO’s importance to the city.”

Lima Symphony Opens Season with a New Look at the Grand Canyon and Chelsea Komschlies’s “Mycelialore”

Posted on October 9, 2025 by - News Briefs

In Wednesday’s (9/7) LimaOhio.com, Jacob Espinosa writes, “Another season is set to start for the Lima Symphony Orchestra and it will be yet another evening of new ideas. ‘Symphonic Landscapes’ will feature two guest artists for a multimedia show blending the orchestra with images of the Grand Canyon and the world of mushrooms … on Saturday, Oct. 11 … LSO Executive Director Elizabeth Brown-Ellis said, ‘Stephen Lias, who is also a composer, has created a visual projection that will accompany Ferde Grofé’s “Grand Canyon Suite,” which is going to be a really spectacular display to bring the music to life. Stephen is the artist-in-residence for many national parks….’ The show will also feature a commissioned piece by composer Chelsea Komschlies called ‘Mycelialore,’ which will pair the world of fungi with the fantasy world of J.R.R. Tolkien.” Mycelialore was commissioned by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation Orchestral Commissions Program, an initiative of the League of American Orchestras in partnership with the American Composers Orchestra. “ ‘It’s such an honor and it’s really exciting for us to be able to bring these works of young, living composers to life,’ Brown-Ellis said. ‘It’s also so exciting for us to be part of a commission.’ ”