RPO’S OPUS PROGRAM RECEIVES CITY ARTSBLOOM GRANT

RPO’S OPUS PROGRAM RECEIVES CITY ARTSBLOOM GRANT

With $20,000 award, City honors Rochester Philharmonic’s Orchestra Program for Urban Students

Rochester, NY – One of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) education programs has been honored with a grant from the City of Rochester.

The RPO’s Orchestra Program for Urban Students (OPUS) was awarded $20,000 from the City’s Percent for the Arts program through ArtsBloom, an initiative to fund arts education, performing arts, and temporary art programming across Rochester.

“We are beyond grateful to have the City’s support in this inaugural year of OPUS,” says RPO Vice President of Education Barbara Brown. “This initiative promises to unlock the rich world of music, nurturing the potential within these students and fostering a lifelong love for learning.”

OPUS is dedicated to providing opportunities that positively influence and enrich the lives of local students through music education, Brown adds, noting OPUS activities include access to RPO open rehearsals; coaching from RPO musicians; RPO musician, conductor, and guest-artist visits; complimentary tickets to RPO performances; opportunities to perform both before an RPO concerts at Kodak Hall as well as alongside the RPO in performances around the community.

Wednesday (13 September 2023), City of Rochester Mayor Malik D. Evans announced the award to the RPO, as well as five other recipients of funds from the City’s Percent for the Arts program.

“I want to congratulate the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra for being selected to receive funds through the City’s ArtsBloom program,” Evans said. “Their Orchestral Program for Urban Students will provide year-round music education and performance opportunities for city youth, ensuring that we are growing and diversifying our audience of music lovers and musicians into the next century.”

The other recipients are The Avenue Blackbox Theatre, Borinquen Dance Theatre, Flower City Arts Center, In This Moment: Revolution Reckoning Reparation, and Revelation Rochester Art Center (Richmond Futch, Jr.).

The Percent for the Arts program aligns with the City’s vision for a more dynamic and equitable city of and for the arts as outlined in the Arts & Culture section of the Rochester 2034 Comprehensive Plan. The concept for ArtsBloom was developed in partnership with an advisory panel of local artists and arts community members called the Arts and Creative Community Committee (AC3).

RPO’s Flagship Partners in OPUS are ABC Head Start, School #19/Strings for Success, School #58, School of the Arts, EnCompass, ROCmusic, Eastman Community Music School’s Pathways Program, and Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.

 

ABOUT THE RPO: The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) has been committed to enriching and inspiring our community through the art of music since its origins in 1922. The RPO presents approximately 150 concerts and broadcasts a year, serving up to 170,000 through ticketed events, education and community engagement activities, and concerts in schools and community centers throughout the region. Andreas Delfs was named music director in 2021, following notable RPO music directors Erich Leinsdorf, David Zinman, Mark Elder, and Conductor Laureate Christopher Seaman. Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik, now in his 30th season, has earned a national reputation for excellence in pops programming during his tenure with the RPO. The RPO reaches more than 15,000 youths through its specific education programs.