March 25, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … Applications for the 2005-2007 Community Music Partnership (CMP) are currently being accepted by the Oregon Symphony. Any community that is located east of the Cascades and has a population of 30,000 or less is eligible to apply to be the 2005-2007 partnership community. The deadline for all applications is Friday, April 29, 2005. CMP funding is provided by the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation, the Ford Family Foundation, the JELD-WEN Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Oregon Cultural Trust, the 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 partnership, the largest and most significant education program offered by the Symphony, pairs students, educators and community arts organizations with the Symphony’s extensive roster of musicians and staff to strengthen existing programs while integrating new arts programming into the curriculum. The partnership is expected to result in more than 200 music education events and activities, including youth and community concerts by the Oregon Symphony, while helping to establish stronger music programs for the future.
“The CMP goal is to have a lasting impact on music education in Oregon’s rural communities,” says Michael Kosmala, Vice President 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 North Bend School District 13 is the Symphony’s 2004-06 community partner, along with the Oregon Coast Music Association. The partnership activities includes extensive residency planning at the community and individual school level that includes all the schools in the North Bend School District, professional development for Coos County teachers, offered by the Symphony through Portland State University’s extension program, evaluation and assessment, including the development of sustainability plans by each of the partner schools, over 200 musician residencies that benefit K-12 students and the broader community, a four-concert chamber music series, two full-orchestra Youth Concert performances and a full orchestra Community Concert showcasing North Bend students and community members on May 6, 2005.
For further information, contact the Oregon Symphony’s Education & Community Engagement department at 503-228-4294 or at educate@orsymphony.org.