MEASURE U SPOTLIGHT: CHAMBER MUSIC UNBOUND
This month we had the chance to catch up with the amazing artists that run Chamber Music Unbound. They have been a huge driving force in bringing chamber music to the Eastern Sierra over the last 22 years. Check out the full interview below to learn about everything they do in our community and make sure to check out their website to learn more about how you can take advantage of all the resources they provide.
Tell us a little about your program/organization.
Chamber Music Unbound (CMU) grew out of Artist-in-Residence grants the Felici Piano Trio, an internationally renowned ensemble, received from the NEA and the California Arts Council to bring the art form of chamber music to the remote, rural communities of the Eastern Sierra. CMU builds on and expands the programs that were created during the initial residency period, including an annual winter concert series, a world-class summer music festival and a community music school.
How does your program/organization impact the lives of people in Mammoth Lakes?
You don't have to drive three hours north or five hours south to experience a great chamber music concert! For the price of a decent bottle of wine, you can hear musical art works, old and new, played with passion and impeccable ensemble skills.
If you go to school in Mammoth, you can hear concert previews with guest artists - for free!
If you want to learn to play an instrument, you can study violin, viola, cello and piano with the members of the resident Felici Piano Trio, you can learn more about great music in classes that Brian Schuldt, the cellist, teaches at Cerro Coso College. You can join the community orchestra or participate in a chamber music group with other music lovers and be coached by consummate professionals.
Your program/organization is a Measure U grant recipient, can you tell us what you use that funding for in your program/organization?
First and foremost, the Measure U grant allows CMU to offer programs and events at affordable rates to the residents of Mammoth Lakes.
Young People's Concerts, for students of all ages, are free to the schools and all participants. They playfully introduce young listeners to the joys of live music, the meaning of music as a distinct art form, and encourage students to play an instrument themselves.
CMU's Community Music School makes available tuition and instrument scholarships, based on a family's need, and CMU has never turned down a child who wanted to learn. Some years, up to 60% of group lesson participants receive tuition waivers and/or instrument scholarships.
Measure U funding also ensures that CMU has the resources to attract outstanding guest artists from renowned universities and ensembles across the country.
Did the Measure U grant funding make it possible for you to offer programming that would not have been available otherwise?
Measure U grant funding made it possible to offer Young People's Concerts to students who would not usually have the opportunity. The funding also helped expand CMU’s loaner instrument program, eliminating the need for students to rent on the open market.
How did the Measure U grant funding help your program/organization to provide opportunities for locals to engage with arts/culture/mobility/recreation?
Whether children experience the sound of acoustic string instruments and piano for the first time in an intimate live setting, or whether an elderly music lover can enjoy world-class performances quite literally in their backyard, without the need to travel and spend time and money on overnight trips to Reno or L.A., CMU provides countless opportunities for residents (and visitors!) to engage with music as an art form that both reflects our life experiences and lifts us out of the everyday. CMU is equally committed to providing opportunities for music learning and music making amongst members of the community across all ages and ability levels.
What is the next big thing happening with your organization/program?
In its 22nd year, CMU is looking to secure and stabilize the organization's long-term finances with an endowment fundraising campaign. We hope that this will allow a young ensemble to move to the Eastern Sierra and continue to expand our current work well into the future.
Do you have any words of advice for other programs/organizations that might be looking at applying for Measure U funding?
A quote by Eleanor Roosevelt comes to mind (it also inspired our upcoming winter concert series):
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
Believe in your dream and work hard to make it come true!
Look for funding from a variety of different sources, including Measure U; make every dollar count, be meticulous and transparent in your accounting and reporting; at the end of your project, carefully review cost and effect - and right away start planning for the next good thing!
About Mammoth Lakes Recreation
Formed in 2014, Mammoth Lakes Recreation’s mission is to deliver cutting edge sustainable recreation, mobility, and arts & culture opportunities and infrastructure for the benefit of the community and natural environment of Mammoth Lakes. For more information, go to www.mammothlakesrecreation.org.