Club Passim Begins Distribution of First Round of PEAR Fund Grants

Today, Club Passim in Cambridge began distributing the first round of grants from the Passim Emergency Artist Relief Fund. Forty-four grants were awarded for a total of more than $20,000. Launched on March 16, the PEAR fund was created to help musicians dealing with the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, Passim has raised more than $55,000 for the fund. Passim continues to take donations and requests for aid at passim.org/PEARfund.

"The generosity supporting the PEAR fund has been overwhelming," said Jim Wooster, Executive Director of Passim. "As we all wait and hope for an end to these troubling times it is great to see the Passim community rallying around these artists when they need us the most."

Passim launched the "Keep Your Distance Fest" a virtual music festival to support the PEAR fund. Artists including Vance Gilbert, Zachariah Hickman, Aoife O'Donovan and Taylor Ashton, and nearly 90 others have submitted videos sharing songs about staying calm, hope, and sticking together and encouraging people to give to the PEAR Fund. The complete playlist is online now at Passim's YouTube page.

About Passim

The mission of Passim is to provide truly exceptional and interactive live musical experiences for both performers and audiences, to nurture artists at all stages of their career, and to build a vibrant music community. Passim does so through their legendary listening venue, music school, artist grants and outreach programs. As a nonprofit since 1994, Passim carries on the heritage of our predecessors-the historic Club 47 (1958-1968) and for-profit Passim (1969-1994). We cultivate a diverse mix of musical traditions, where the emphasis is on the relationship between performers and audience and teachers and students. Located in Harvard Square, Passim serves Cambridge and the broader region by featuring local, national and International Artists. Our ultimate goal is to help the performance arts flourish and thereby enrich the lives of members of our community. For a complete schedule, visit www.passim.org.

Check out videos below!