Lexington Philharmonic One of 25 U.S. Orchestras to Receive Catalyst Fund Grants from League of American Orchestras To Advance Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Within Their Organization
May 21, 2021
For immediate release.
Lexington Philharmonic One of 25 U.S. Orchestras to Receive Catalyst Fund Grants from League of American Orchestras To Advance Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
(Lexington, KY) – The League of American Orchestras has awarded a Catalyst Fund grant to the Lexington Philharmonic to strengthen their understanding of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and to help transform organizational culture. Given to just twenty-five orchestras nationwide, the one-year grants comprise the final round of The Catalyst Fund, the League’s three-year, $2.1 million grant-making program, made possible by a generous grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation with additional support from the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation.
“We are honored to have the opportunity to continue our inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility work with funding from the Catalyst Fund of the League of American Orchestras” says Allison Kaiser, Executive Director of the Lexington Philharmonic. “This grant will support LexPhil’s establishment of an IDEA Task Force, which will look deeply at all aspects of the organization to produce an IDEA Institutional Plan. We want to ensure that inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility are woven into all levels of why and how we serve our community.”
“American orchestras have made a strong commitment to embrace equity, diversity, and inclusion and reverse decades of inequity on-stage and off – an imperative made even more urgent by the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on communities of color,” said Simon Woods, the League’s President and CEO. “This is a long-term journey, but it starts with taking immediate action and creating organizational momentum. We’re grateful for The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s long-standing support for the orchestral field, and for the strategic vision that has allowed this group of orchestras to model what change looks like for our entire field through their Catalyst Fund grants.”
The Catalyst Fund grant will support the process of establishing LexPhil’s IDEA Task Force, research of internal practices and space for members of Lexington Philharmonic (board, musicians, staff) and members of the community to contribute to a long-term IDEA Institutional plan. This process will be facilitated over several months by Lexington-based firm, S&A Strategies and Boston-based firm, Orchestrate Inclusion. Once completed, the IDEA Institutional Plan will be incorporated as part of LexPhil’s overall strategic plan, and will include measurable goals and benchmarks to report back to the Lexington community and the League of American Orchestras.
The Catalyst Fund has made a strong impact on the field, with several orchestras receiving multiple grants over three years to sustain their work. Since its launch in 2019, 76 Catalyst Fund grants were awarded to 49 orchestras of all sizes and types, each demonstrating a strong commitment and dedication to EDI work and an increased awareness that systemic change requires a sustained effort over time. More than 80% of first-year grantees reported making either policy or programming changes as a result of their funded work, with most engaging board and musicians alongside staff.
EDI practitioners are central to The Catalyst Fund grant program, helping orchestras implement a range of organizational development activities involving musicians, staff, board, and, in some cases, volunteers and community leaders. These include anti-bias trainings, institutional audits, the creation of formal EDI plans, and work to build consensus and integrate EDI into mission statements and culture. Community building is also a key component of the program; The Catalyst Fund Learning Cohort, made possible by the generous support of the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, enables past and present grantees to interact with colleagues through remote and (pre-pandemic) in-person convenings, peer learning, and a dedicated web-based forum. Applications were reviewed by an independent panel of EDI experts and practitioners in the arts and orchestral fields.
The Catalyst Fund is informed by earlier dialogue and research. A major national convening co-hosted by the League and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in December 2015 was catalytic in launching national task forces and annual convenings to engage orchestras in EDI efforts. Two important League studies, Racial/Ethnic and Gender Diversity in the Orchestra Field, and Forty Years of Fellowships: A Study of Orchestras' Efforts to Include African American and Latino Musicians, further served to inform and stimulate action. In April 2018 the League launched, in partnership with The Sphinx Organization and the New World Symphony, the National Alliance for Audition Support, a national initiative that offers Black and Latinx musicians a customized combination of mentoring, audition preparation, and audition travel stipends. Additional information on these programs and other EDI activity, including the League’s guide, Making the Case for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Orchestras, its EDI Strategic Framework, and articles, webinars, and other materials, is available from the League’s online EDI Resource Center.
2021 Catalyst Fund Grant Recipients
Adrian Symphony Orchestra (MI) Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Berkeley Symphony (CA)
BRAVO Youth Orchestras (OR) Charlotte Symphony Orchestra (NC) Chicago Sinfonietta (IL)
Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras (IL) Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (OH) Contemporary Youth Orchestra (OH) Grant Park Music Festival (IL)
Kennett Symphony (PA)
Lexington Philharmonic (KY)
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (CA) Los Angeles Philharmonic (CA) Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (WI) New Haven Symphony Orchestra (CT)
New World Symphony (FL)
New York Philharmonic
North Carolina Symphony
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PA)
Princeton Symphony Orchestra (NJ)
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (MO)
San Diego Symphony Orchestra (CA)
San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory (CA) Virginia Symphony Orchestra
About the Lexington Philharmonic
VISION: LexPhil believes in the transformative power of live orchestral music and envisions a culture of curiosity for the creation and performance of great music and the essential role it plays in a vibrant community and education system.
VALUES: LexPhil is guided by an unwavering commitment to its core values of artistic excellence, innovation, collaboration and accessibility.
MISSION: To foster excellence and innovation in the performance and presentation of great music; to enrich the lives of our diverse citizenry; to educate current and future audiences and to bring distinction to our community through the orchestra’s presence and standing.
The League of American Orchestras leads, supports, and champions America’s orchestras and the vitality of the music they perform. Its diverse membership of more than 1,800 organizations and individuals across North America runs the gamut from world-renowned orchestras to community groups, from summer festivals to student and youth ensembles, from conservatories to libraries, from businesses serving orchestras to individuals who love symphonic music. The national organization dedicated solely to the orchestral experience, the League is a nexus of knowledge and innovation, advocacy, and leadership advancement. Its conferences and events, award-winning Symphony magazine, website, and other publications inform people around the world about orchestral activity and developments. Founded in 1942 and chartered by Congress in 1962, the League links a national network of thousands of instrumentalists, conductors, managers and administrators, board members, volunteers, and business partners. Visit americanorchestras.org.
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All Lexington Philharmonic programs are made possible through the generous support of LexArts. In 2020-2021, the Lexington Philharmonic will receive $90,000 in unrestricted support.
The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, provides operating support to the Lexington Philharmonic with state tax dollars and along with federal funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Hamilton Saykaly Garbulinska Foundation funds LexPhil’s commitment to continued artistic growth and community engagement.
Special thanks to the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government for its continued partnership in ensuring a flourishing future for the arts in Lexington and central Kentucky.