In its first 50 years, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) awarded more than $5 billion in grants to recipients in every state and U.S. jurisdiction, the only arts funder in the nation to do so. Today, the NEA announced awards totaling more than $27.6 million in its first funding round of fiscal year 2016, including an Art Works award of $40,000 to the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra to support commissions and premieres of new works including related educational activities.
The Art Works category supports the creation of work and presentation of both new and existing work, lifelong learning in the arts, and public engagement with the arts through 13 arts disciplines or fields.
NEA Chairman Jane Chu said, “The arts are part of our everyday lives – no matter who you are or where you live – they have the power to transform individuals, spark economic vibrancy in communities, and transcend the boundaries across diverse sectors of society. Supporting projects like the one from the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra offers more opportunities to engage in the arts every day.”
Funds from the NEA will support commissions and premieres of new works including related educational activities. The premiere of “Symphonic Triptych,” one of the last compositions by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Gunther Schuller will take place. Schuller, who died in June 2015, was principal horn player for the orchestra (1943-45), National Council on the Arts member (1974-80) and NEA Jazz Master in 2008. Two concertos for orchestra, works that feature virtuosic treatment of individual instruments, will be commissioned and premiered by composers Thierry Escaich and Zhou Tian. Educational activities may include pre-concert lectures, residency activities for schools and community groups, and panel discussions
To join the Twitter conversation about this announcement, please use #NEAFall15. For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, go to arts.gov
