In January of 2023, the Steelcase Foundation awarded Project ESME a two-year $50,000 grant to support its youth and community engagement programming. Project ESME’s mission is to provide educational and community outreach to increase accessibility to the arts, bring cultures together, and enrich our community through the transformative power of live music. 

Over the next two years, Project ESME will deliver the following programming:

• ECHO (ESME Club House Orchestra – a free afterschool music club and youth training program which prepares participants to perform at interactive community performances held at Celebration Cinema and other venues.
• EPIC (ESME Pop-up Interactive Community) Community Concerts – free pop-up public performances.
• ESME at the Park Concerts – Project ESME artists present classical music performances that blend an eclectic range of styles accessible to a broad and diverse audience to underserved areas throughout the city. 
• Swan Song – an interactive live music and dance project, featuring original choreography set to ESME arrangements. Stories showcase vignettes of personal and autobiographical stories of the performers and artists involved about life struggles, disabilities, social discrimination, and the journey to overcome them through art. 
• School Clinics – school day experiences that provide students exposure to classical instruments through clinic concerts with ESME staff. 
• ESME String Camp – a week-long tuition-based chamber music program, offering one-on-one and group lessons with world renowned faculty artists in solo, chamber ensemble, and orchestra, composition, music theory, practice technique, improvisation, music entrepreneurship, body awareness and physical well-being for musicians, and more.

We’re excited to partner with Project ESME as it brings classical music experiences to our community. Check out their Facebook page to learn more about upcoming performances and opportunities for youth.