March 24, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … Applications for the 2006-2008 Community Music Partnership (CMP) are currently being accepted by the Oregon Symphony. Communities located west of the Cascade Mountains witha population of 30,000 or less are eligible to apply to be the 2006-2008 partnership community. The deadline for all applications is Monday, May 15, 2006. CMP funding is provided by the American Symphony Orchestra League/MetLife, Cow Creek/Umpqua Indian Foundation, Flora Family Foundation, Ford Family Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Oregon Arts Commission and the Pacificorp Foundation for Learning.
The Community Music Partnership (CMP) is an intensive two-year music residency program designed specifically to serve rural or remote communities in the state of Oregon with populations of 30,000 or less. Partner communities are selected through a competitive application process. The Symphony awards one CMP grant annually to undertake the residency activities at no cost to the participating community.
The two-year-long partnership, the largest and most intensive education and community engagement program offered by the Symphony, crafts the orchestra’s presence to the individual needs of the partner community. Students, educators and community members are paired with the Symphony’s extensive roster of musicians and staff to strengthen existing programs while integrating new arts programming into the school curriculum and the fabric of the community. The partnership has a value of up to $350,000 in Symphony resources and is expected to result in more than 300 residency events and activities, including youth and community concerts by the Oregon Symphony, while helping to establish stronger music programs for the future.
“The goals of the Community Music Partnership include enhancing the capacity of a community to identify and address arts development needs and aspirations in their schools and community,” says Emilia Smith, Director of Education and Community Engagement. “The Symphony’s role is to act as a catalyst, connecting Symphony resources with the community’s existing goals for arts education in its schools.”
The Baker School District 5J is the Symphony’s 2005-2007 community partner, along with the Baker Community Concert Association and Crossroads Art Center. The first year of partnership activities includes extensive residency planning at the community and individual school level that involves all of the schools in the Baker School District; over 300 musician residency activities that benefit K-12 students and the broader community, with each activity specifically designed to address the goals and outcomes identified by the Baker school district; two chamber music concerts; two full-orchestra Youth Concert performances, and a full orchestra Community Concert showcasing Baker City students and community members on May 6, 2006. At the conclusion of the first year, Symphony staff and school and community leaders will evaluate and assess the partnership’s first year activities; long-term sustainability plans will also be developed with each of the partner schools. Year two of the partnership provides financial incentives to promote local partnership development and ongoing professional development for K-12 teachers.
For further information, contact the Oregon Symphony’s Education & Community Engagement department at 503-228-4294 or at educate@orsymphony.org or visit www.orsymphony.org to download an application.
