National Endowment for the Arts FY 2017 Fall Grant Announcement

To support the annual WITNESS project, a celebration of contributions by African Americans. Titled WITNESS:
Underground Railroad, the performance and educational engagement project will celebrate the historic secret
network of antislavery activists who helped more than 100,000 African-American slaves escape to freedom and
will explore Minnesota's role as a sanctuary for the oppressed. Programming will be directed by associate
conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III and will feature guest artist Melanie DeMore. The concert at Orchestra Hall in
Minneapolis will be performed by VocalEssence and choruses from Minneapolis and St. Paul middle and high
schools, as well as students participating in the Talented Tenth Apprentice Program.
Washington Chorus, Inc. (aka The Washington Chorus)
$15,000 Washington, DC
To support a performance project. In its seventh year, the New Music for a New Age program will celebrate
Music Director and composer Julian Wachner's tenth and final season with the chorus. Programming will include
new works by Wachner and will feature guest conductor Thomas Colohan. Compositions by Wachner that will
be included on the concert program may be "An October Garden," "Chamber Symphony," "Blue, Green, Red,"
and "Come, My Dark-Eyed One." Community engagement activities may include school visits and free tickets for
youth. The concert will be presented at the National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C.
Washington Performing Arts Society (aka Washington Performing Arts)
$35,000 Washington, DC
To support an artist residency by the Kronos Quartet at Washington Performing Arts Society. The San Franciscobased
ensemble will participate in the WPA Embassy Adoption Program (EAP)-a partnership with D.C. schools.
Embassies in Washington, D.C., will be paired with fifth- and sixth-graders citywide for arts-integrated global
learning. WPA is an official Legacy Partner in the quartet's Fifty for the Future: The Kronos Learning Repertoire-a
commissioning, performance, education and legacy project to prepare young amateur and early-career string
quartets for 21st-century repertoire. The two-year project is part of a five-year collaborative residency with the
WPA, during which Kronos will commission and premiere 50 self-contained works through five performance
seasons (2015-16 through 2019-20). Digital versions of the scores, recordings, and curricular materials will be
available free online. Kronos and WPA will jointly create master classes, workshops and residencies anchored by
performances. WPA also will commission one work per year and feature the new works in performances,
matching embassy to composer to school.
Wet Ink Music Productions, Inc. (aka Wet Ink Ensemble)
$10,000 Brooklyn, NY
To support a contemporary music festival and recording project by the Wet Ink Ensemble. Programming for the
two-day festival may include acoustic and electro-acoustic works for large ensemble (12 to 20 or more players)
by American composers such as Anthony Braxton, Erin Gee, Kate Soper, Alex Mincek, Eric Wubbels, Sam Pluta,
Anthony Cheung, and Katherine Young. In addition, the ensemble will produce a studio recording which will be
released internationally on Carrier Records. The festival performances will take place at St. Peter's Church in
New York City.
Yarn Wire, Inc (aka Yarn/Wire)
$10,000 Ridgewood, NY
To support a touring project of Yarn/Wire residencies, collaborations, and performances. The contemporary
music ensemble--a two-keyboard, two-percussion quartet--will present public concerts, master classes and
workshops at colleges and universities in Michigan, Massachusetts, New York, and Virginia. The diverse
repertoire will include works by composers such as Tyondai Braxton, Mei-Fang Lin, Alex Mincek, Tristan Perich,
Steve Reich, and Chiyoko Szlavnics.
Some details of the projects listed are subject to change, contingent upon prior Arts Endowment approval. Information is current as of
December 7, 2016.