Philadelphia Music Alliance for Youth Artists' Initiative to Host 2024 Winter Concert

On Feb 19, 2024, the Philadelphia Music Alliance for Youth Artists’ Initiative will be hosting their 2024 Winter Concert in Presser Hall at Settlement Music School’s Mary Louise Curtis Branch  featuring Philadelphia’s rising artists. This free event is open to the public and will feature eight PMAY Artists' Initiative artists performing Wolfgang Mozart, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Gordon Stout, Camille Saint-Saëns, and Kenji Brunch. 

The PMAY Artists Initiative, launched in 2017, is working to change the face of classical music, locally and nationally by removing barriers to participation for students historically excluded from the symphony orchestra stage. Launched with funding from The Mellon Foundation and sustaining funding by the Paul M. Angell Foundation, it is a collaborative of Settlement Music School, Musicopia, Philadelphia Sinfonia, PYO Music Institute, School District of Philadelphia, Project 440, Temple University Music Prep, and The Philadelphia Orchestra. Together, these partners provide subsidized lessons, instruments, masterclasses, summer programs, college advising, and more, leading students to life-changing higher education and accomplished careers in music.

Since 2017, representation of students of color has increased sixfold in the most advanced high school classical music programs in the region. Every student that has graduated from the PMAY Artists' Initiative has secured scholarships that eliminate cost as a barrier-to-entry for their college or university of choice, and full scholarships have been received in each graduating class. More than 45 graduates have been offered over $8M combined in financial aid and scholarships to attend colleges and conservatories such as Curtis Institute of Music, The Juilliard School, and Cleveland Institute of Music.

PMAY Artists have seen unparalleled rates of success, with alumni being named Assistant Conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Fellow at the League of American Orchestras, and medaling in the national Sphinx Competition. Here are just a few of the accolades and opportunities that PMAY Artists performing at the 2024 Winter Concert have achieved, thanks to the support of the program.

• Kwanyun Loo - Winner of the James Deitz Memorial Young Artist competition and will be performing with the Main Line Symphony Orchestra, Old York Road Symphony, and the Lansdowne Symphony in 2024
• Brahin Ahmaddiya - Winner of the Luca Del Negro Youth Soloist Competition and will be performing with the Rose Tree Pops Orchestra on April 28
• Miro Raj - Winner of the 2021 Main Line Symphony Competition and finalist for the National Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition

“The cost for a student to get everything they need to attend college for classical music can be $15,000 a year. Even with drive and determination, that price point can close many doors,” says Dr. Najib Wong, Director of the PMAY Artists' Initiative. “We are proud to support these students, many of whom are first-generation college students. Our mission is to prepare each student to be accepted into a top music conservatory or university program and go on to have a sustainable music career, and we have already seen incredible accomplishments from our graduates.”

The PMAY Artists’ Initiative 2024 Winter Concert at Settlement Music School’s Mary Louise Curtis Branch, February 19, is free and open to everyone. We warmly invite you to attend! RSVP here: bit.ly/PMAYConcertRSVP

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