Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra Receives Funding From Mayor's Matching Grant

The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra is grateful to have received a matching grant of $9,000 from Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer in support of the Philharmonic's Virtual Music Education program.

Through this program, the Orlando Philharmonic has offered 30 students a scholarship for online music lessons, as well as completing 48 virtual school visits across Central Florida, impacting 350 students total. The Virtual Music Education Program serves middle school and high school student musicians involved in band or orchestra programs at Title I Schools in Orange County.

This program was launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and helps support Central Florida student musicians in achieving their full potential through instruction and artistic mentorship from professional musicians of the Orlando Philharmonic. The Virtual Music Education program has also created an opportunity for those same musicians to remain engaged with students and education programs (which many consider the most rewarding part of their jobs) while providing additional income during this challenging time.

Partnering with multiple Central Florida schools, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra is able to provide scholarships for private music lessons, tickets to Philharmonic concerts, and opportunities to interact with guest artists. Scholarship students will also have the opportunity to participate in a virtual Q&A with Anna Clyne, the Philharmonic's Composer-in-Residence, this coming spring. The Virtual Music Education program will culminate in a final performance showcasing their artistic growth over the course of the Season.

"My virtual private lessons with my teacher have been very insightful," said a current Virtual Music Education program student. "I've learned and grown a lot in my playing abilities and would not be at this level without them."

With this matching grant, the Orlando Philharmonic also plans to implement group instruction for orchestra and band students at Howard Middle School and Edgewater High School. For a 12-week period, professional OPO musicians from each of the instrument families (brass, woodwind, strings, and percussion) will conduct a weekly virtual group lesson with students from both schools. This all-virtual group instruction also takes the place of the Philharmonic's existing Notes In Your Neighborhood program at these schools (an in-person program), which was also generously supported by the Mayor's Matching Grant Program.

The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra is committed to fostering and educating musicians of extraordinary talent from diverse backgrounds. Through our longstanding partnerships with Orange County Public Schools and other local districts, the Philharmonic continues to work with administrators and music teachers at Title I Schools to publicize the program and to identify and recruit promising student musicians.