Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra Awarded NEA Grant

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Acting Chairman Joan Shigekawa has announced that Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO) is one of 886 nonprofit organizations nationwide to receive an NEA Art Works grant. MYSO is recommended for a $10,000 grant to support MYSO's Progressions program, a high-impact/high intensity string training and orchestral program for minority populations under-represented within MYSO and orchestral music in general.

Since its launch in 2003, MYSO Progressions has focused particularly on students with limited financial means and provides students with instruments, books/materials, private instruction, master classes, plus orchestra training-in preparation for an audition into MYSO's entry level performance orchestra and beyond. The program is designed for students who live and/or attend school in the City of Milwaukee. With 80+ Progressions graduates who successfully auditioned into and continue to participate in the more advanced MYSO ensembles, Progressions is literally changing the face of MYSO.

NEA Acting Chairman Shigekawa said, "The NEA is pleased to announce that Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra is recommended for an NEA Art Works grant. These NEA-supported projects will not only have a positive impact on local economies, but will also provide opportunities for people of all ages to participate in the arts, help our communities to become more vibrant, and support our nation's artists as they contribute to our cultural landscape."

"The National Endowment for the Arts' (NEA) support of Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO), through the NEA's Art Works grant program, provides valuable music training, cognitive and musical skill development to underserved youth from the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee Public Schools, says Linda Edelstein, MYSO's Executive Director. "This grant, directly supporting MYSO's innovative string training program for third and fourth grade children from underrepresented populations, enables MYSO to change the lives of these young musicians, as they gain critical life skills through music study."

Art Works grants support the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and enhancement of the livability of communities through the arts.

The NEA received 1,515 eligible applications under the Art Workscategory, requesting more than $76 million in funding. Of those applications, 886 are recommended for grants for a total of $25.8 million.

For a complete listing of projects recommended for Art Works grant support, please visit the NEA website at arts.gov.