THE SEATTLE SYMPHONY LAUNCHES NEW PARTNERSHIPS WITH LOCAL MUSIC EDUCATION ORGANIZATIONS: KEY TO CHANGE, KIDS IN CONCERT AND SEATTLE YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
PARTNERSHIPS TO FOCUS ON INCREASING OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG MUSICIANS IN UNDERSERVED AREAS ACROSS PUGET SOUND
Seattle, WA – The Seattle Symphony is pleased to announce the launch of new partnerships with three music education organizations: Key to Change, Kids in Concert and Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra (SYSO). These partnerships will be centered around enhancing musical education for racially and economically diverse youth, particularly in the South Seattle area. These partnerships formalize and augment the important, ongoing community work already undertaken by all four organizations. The partnerships will help build a solid foundation to further evolve longer-term collaboration, expanding opportunities for historically underserved youth across the Puget Sound region to enhance their musical development and broaden music education access in the community.
The Seattle Symphony’s Education and Community Engagement department has an established track record of investing in and building meaningful partnerships within the community. Strengthening relationships with Key to Change, Kids in Concert and SYSO, and investing resources in these collaborations over a number of years, has been a critical aspect of formalizing these new, impactful partnerships. Each season, the Seattle Symphony presents its annual Side-by-Side Concerts, and partners with youth orchestras and schools, including SYSO’s flagship orchestra, giving young musicians the chance to share the Benaroya Hall stage and work closely with the professional musicians of Seattle Symphony. This new partnership supports SYSO’s newest ensemble, MY Southeast, which focuses on the Rainier Valley neighborhood. Kids in Concert is another valued community partner deepening their collaboration with the Symphony. The organization has taken part in the Symphony’s Community Connections program and previously co-hosted a community event with the Symphony.
The Seattle Symphony’s collaboration with Key to Change has already created successful moments of musical exploration for young students. After creating masterclasses with cellist Seth Parker Woods while he served as Artist in Residence in 2020, Key to Change was the recipient of a Community Stages Fund grant from the Symphony. The grant provided organizations, including Key to Change, access to the Symphony’s streaming infrastructure so that these organizations could connect with their audiences and supporters digitally during the height of the pandemic. Key to Change has a long history of removing structural barriers and helping underserved young musicians and students of color follow a path towards a flourishing music education experience and will continue to play a pivotal role in the work undertaken during this exciting partnership. The partnership between the Symphony and Key to Change was recently featured on King FM’s Unmute the Voices.
As part of these ongoing partnerships, the Seattle Symphony will provide masterclasses with Symphony musicians and guest artists, sectional rehearsal and panel discussions with Symphony musicians, staff, board and crew members about careers in the arts. Students from these organizations will also have access to open rehearsals and free tickets to Seattle Symphony and Benaroya Hall events, and opportunities to perform with the Seattle Symphony at Benaroya Hall.
“The Seattle Symphony is thrilled to take part in this new and very important relationship with three wonderful organizations working hard to improve music education for youth in underserved areas of Seattle,” said Krishna Thiagarajan, President & CEO of the Seattle Symphony. “The Symphony truly believes that we are stronger when we work together, and we are excited to see how this partnership leads to more and better musical training for young musicians in our community. We look forward to seeing new faces at Benaroya Hall and working with these key community partners to improve music education.”
“I've had a longstanding relationship with the Seattle Symphony that started when I was a teenager in the early '90s when my teacher played in the orchestra,” said Dr. Quinton Morris, Executive Director of Key to Change. “Partnering with the Seattle Symphony feels like a full-circle moment. I'm very excited about the collaborative, positive impact we will have on students in South King County. Through our partnership, students will study and experience music at a high level, providing access to opportunities that they could have never imagined. My hope is that, through our partnership, we will be able to create experiences that are transformative to the musical and human development of our students that my teenager self would be proud of.”
“Kids in Concert organizes and facilitates music programs for students, irrespective of income, but that doesn’t capture the full extent of what we do,” said Lorraine Glover, Board Member of Kids in Concert. “Building community relationships and working with partners is at the heart of Kids in Concert and is essential for our success and the success of our students. We are excited to work with such excellent partners, mentors, teachers and families. When we all invest in a shared mission, we create more opportunities for students, benefitting our entire community.”
"SYSO is honored to expand our longstanding partnership with the Seattle Symphony to enrich programming for student musicians in our recently-created orchestra, Music Youth Southeast (MY Southeast),” said Juan Felipe Molano, SYSO Music Director. “The skill and experience of the Seattle Symphony will assist SYSO in expanding educational opportunities for young musicians in South Seattle, and help us respond to the call for greater inclusion and accessibility throughout our institution. We are excited to have the Seattle Symphony's support, and look forward to working closely with them through MY Southeast to expand access to music education for all students in our community."
KEY TO CHANGE
Key to Change inspires underserved youth through world-class music instruction and supports their development as self-aware leaders through a holistic environment where they can flourish. Key to Change removes the barrier to entry for underserved students and students of color with an inclusive approach that helps build trust and connection. By offering excellent music instruction below the market rate, Key to Change extends the benefits of a classical music education to a new generation of young musicians.
KIDS IN CONCERT
Kids In Concert is a free, after-school music education organization for students ages 6–18 in North Kitsap County. KIC is an El Sistema-inspired program that offers students the opportunity to learn an orchestral instrument, participate in musical ensembles and contribute to the lives of others, with the ultimate goal of leveling the playing field for all of our kids. Our program is available to students most school days and serves more than 80 students. While music is at the heart of KIC’s mission, students also participate in the Healthy and Whole program that has been adapted from years of work with the Suquamish tribe, teaching emotional and social learning and providing tools for healthy communication and emotional regulation. Every child has limitless possibilities and the ability to strive for excellence. “Trust the young” informs every aspect of the work.
SEATTLE YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Founded in 1942, Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra’s (SYSO) mission is to harness the power of music education to provide young people with pathways to artistic excellence, intellectual development and emotional growth. SYSO fulfills its mission by creating multiple opportunities for young people to participate in music education classes and performances. These pathways reach over 1,000 students annually, and include extracurricular ensembles, academic courses, summer music programs and a decades-long collaboration with Seattle Public Schools to supplement music classrooms in Title 1 schools throughout Seattle. SYSO's newest ensemble, Music Youth Southeast (MY Southeast) was created in collaboration with the Southeast Seattle community to establish free extracurricular musical opportunities for public-school musicians in South Seattle. SYSO's programs have built an annual community of over 35,000 participants that include young musicians, families, stakeholders, supporters, concert attendees and radio listeners.
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 Live streaming service, the orchestra’s concerts reach audiences at home and around the world.
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The Seattle Symphony’s Family, School & Community programs are supported by 4Culture, Arakawa Foundation, Marco Argenti, The Klorfine Foundation, Merriman-Ross Family, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Maryanne Tagney, the Atsuhiko and Ina Goodwin Tateuchi Foundation and individual contributions to the Seattle Symphony Annual Fund..
The Seattle Symphony’s Community Stages Fund is generously underwritten by the Tagney Jones Family Fund at Seattle Foundation..
Krishna Thiagarajan’s position is generously underwritten as the Leslie Jackson Chihuly President & CEO.