HOUSTON (May 22, 2019) – National Endowment for the Arts Acting Chairman Mary Anne Carter has approved more than $80 million in grants as part of the Arts Endowment’s second major funding announcement for fiscal year 2019. Included in this announcement is an Art Works grant of $25,000 to the Houston Symphony to support the Community-Embedded Musicians (CEM) initiative. Art Works is the Arts Endowment’s principal grantmaking program. The agency received 1,592 Art Works applications for this round of grantmaking, and will award 977 grants in this category.
“These awards, reaching every corner of the United States, are a testament to the artistic richness and diversity in our country,” said Mary Anne Carter, acting chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. “Organizations such as the Houston Symphony are giving people in their community the opportunity to learn, create, and be inspired.”
“Our Community-Embedded Musician program is an innovative and essential way for us to bring the Houston Symphony to the community and engage with young people,” said Houston Symphony Executive Director, CEO and holder of the Margaret Alkek Williams Chair, John Mangum. “We are deeply grateful to the NEA for this grant that allows this vital program to continue.”
The Houston Symphony is a national leader in developing innovative educational and community engagement programming such as the CEM initiative, the first of its kind for a 52-week, full-time American orchestra. In addition to being talented musicians, the four CEMs have exceptional teaching ability and passion for community work. These musical ambassadors lead the program in a wide variety of education and community settings, providing everything from in-depth school residencies to health and wellness initiatives including musical therapy. Annually these activities serve more than 16,000 individuals from across Greater Houston.
For more information on this National Endowment for the Arts grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.
About the Houston Symphony
During the 2018−19 season, the Houston Symphony celebrates its fifth season with Music Director Andrés Orozco- Estrada and continues its second century as one of America’s leading orchestras with a full complement of concert, community, education, touring and recording activities. The Houston Symphony, one of the oldest performing arts organizations in Texas, held its inaugural performance at The Majestic Theater in downtown Houston June 21, 1913. Today, with an annual operating budget of $33.9 million, the full-time ensemble of 88 professional musicians presents nearly 170 concerts annually, making it the largest performing arts organization in Houston. Additionally, musicians of the orchestra and the Symphony’s four Community-Embedded Musicians offer over 900 community-based performances each year, reaching hundreds of thousands of people in Greater Houston.
The Grammy Award-winning Houston Symphony has recorded under various prestigious labels, including Naxos, Koch International Classics, Telarc, RCA Red Seal, Virgin Classics, and, most recently, Dutch recording label PENTATONE. In 2017, the Houston Symphony was awarded an ECHO Klassik award for the live recording of Alban Berg’s Wozzeck under the direction of former Music Director Hans Graf. The orchestra earned its first Grammy nomination and Grammy Award at the 60th annual ceremony for the same recording in the Best Opera Recording category.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Eric Skelly: 713.337.8560,
eric.skelly@houstonsymphony.org
Mireya Reyna: 713.337.8557,
mireya.reyna@houstonsymphony.org
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