THE SEATTLE SYMPHONY OPENS APPLICATIONS FOR THE THIRD ANNUAL COMMUNITY STAGES FUND (CSF)

THE CSF WELCOMES LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS TO BENAROYA HALL AND GIVES HIGHLY SUBSIDIZED ACCESS TO PERFORMANCE SPACES AND PRODUCTION SUPPORT

APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN NOW THROUGH OCTOBER 2, 2023

Seattle, WA — Marking its third year, the Seattle Symphony’s Community Stages Fund (CSF) is accepting applications now through Monday, October 2, 2023, at 11:59 p.m., welcoming organizations, groups and artists within the Puget Sound region to use Benaroya Hall’s stages. The overarching goal of the CSF initiative is to invest in greater support for underrepresented artists and give back to those who have helped shape and grow the region’s unique musical and cultural landscape. The CSF gives grantees fully sponsored or highly subsidized use of the Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall, Octave 9: Raisbeck Music Center and/or the Samuel & Althea Stroum Grand Lobby, along with in-house digital streaming equipment, marketing and production crew support.

Three years ago, the Seattle Symphony created the fund to combat the systemic inequities that impact ALAANA (African, Latinx, Asian, Arab or Native American), LGBTQ+ or female performers, especially after the pandemic hit and increased the disparities experienced by these communities. The Seattle Symphony continues to prioritize grantee selections based on each organization’s demonstrated level of need as well as service to racially diverse communities.

In 2023, five Community Stages Fund grants were awarded to local artists and groups, and many new performers and audiences have already visited Benaroya Hall. Two of the 2022/2023 CSF grantees recently presented their events, including second-time awardee Key to Change, a studio that supports underserved youth through highly subsidized world-class music instruction, and Puckduction, which serves BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ creators, and provides space and financial compensation for marginalized performing artists. The three remaining grantees will present this fall as part of the 25th anniversary of Benaroya Hall and the 120th season of the Seattle Symphony. These groups include Emmy Award-winning voiceover artist, storyteller, producer, presenter and teacher Sharon Nyree Williams (November 3); Movimiento Afrolatino Seattle (MÁS), which raises awareness about the history and cultural contributions of artists of Latino and African descent (December 1); and The Rhapsody Project, which explores and celebrates music and heritage through an antiracist lens (December 2).

Applications for the 2023/2024 Community Stages Fund grants are now open and interested organizations can find all application information and submission details at seattlesymphony.org/communitystages.

Applications are due by Monday, October 2, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. For any questions about the application process, please contact community.stages@seattlesymphony.org.

SEATTLE SYMPHONY

The Seattle Symphony unleashes the power of music, brings people together and lifts the human spirit. Recognized as one of the “most vital American orchestras” (NPR), the Seattle Symphony is internationally acclaimed for its inventive programming, community-minded initiatives and superb recordings on the Seattle Symphony Media label. With a strong commitment to new music and a legacy of over 150 recordings, the orchestra has garnered five Grammy Awards, 27 Grammy nominations, two Emmy Awards and was named Gramophone’s 2018 Orchestra of the Year. The Symphony performs in Benaroya Hall in the heart of downtown Seattle from September through July, reaching over 750,000 people annually through live performances and radio broadcasts, and through the Seattle Symphony+ streaming service, the orchestra’s concerts reach audiences at home and around the world.

BENAROYA HALL

Benaroya Hall, the home of the Seattle Symphony, is located in downtown Seattle. The hall is renowned for its pristine acoustics, luxurious design and prime location. It has two auditoria: the S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium and Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall. Opened in 1998, the complex celebrates the vital role of performance events, sustains commercial life on one avenue, and offers a public space, in the form of a terraced garden, along another.

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The Seattle Symphony’s Community Stages Fund is generously supported by the Tagney Jones Family Fund at Seattle Foundation.
The Seattle Symphony’s Family, School & Community programs are supported by 4Culture, Marco Argenti, ArtsFund, Delta Air Lines, the Merriman-Ross Family, the National Endowment for the Arts, and individual contributions to the Seattle Symphony Annual Fund.