MEASURE U SPOTLIGHT: CHAMBER MUSIC UNBOUND
Tell us a little about your program/organization.
Chamber Music Unbound is a non-profit performing arts organization that provides access to Classical music performances and music education for the residents and visitors of the Eastern Sierra. CMU grew out of the Felici Piano Trio’s “Rural Residency”, a grant program of the National Endowment for the Arts which matched young professional ensembles with interested host communities. The Felici Piano Trio moved from Milan, Italy, to Mammoth Lakes, CA, in 1998, and has lived and worked here ever since.
How does your program/organization impact the lives of people in Mammoth Lakes?
From the start, we were hoping to open people’s hearts to the beauties and truths of music as an art form that expresses thoughts and feelings without the need for words. Children often have their very first experience listening to the acoustical sounds of instruments played live when the members of the trio visit them in their school setting. Through the years, we accompany students on their journey of learning, introducing works of art, and the people who created them, in playful “Kids Concerts”, where many students first encounter the music of, say J. S. Bach or W. A. Mozart. Children who want to learn to play a string instrument themselves have the opportunity to join CMU’s after-school classes, or sign-up for individual lessons. Even beyond the school years, we support opportunities for further music learning through a longtime partnership with Cerro Coso College where Brian teaches Music Appreciation, the History of Jazz and Pop Music, as well as Orchestra. So truly, we try to be there for music learners of all ages and also support the music learning that goes on through MUSD’s fine music program. Because we live here, we are able to enrich our community’s life with performances outside the concert setting: quinceañeras, weddings, funerals, other family or community celebrations - we have music! Many people enjoy the Pops in the Park concert on the 4th of July at Shady Rest Park, or come to hear their friends and neighbors sing and play in collaborative concerts of the community orchestra with the choir. Making music together and enjoying listening to music together are ways to “live” in a community.
Your program/organization is a Measure U grant recipient, can you tell us what you use that funding for in your program/organization?
Measure U funding supports many of our musical activities, and makes it possible to offer access to CMU’s programs free of charge or at minimal cost when families cannot afford to participate otherwise. It is very important to us to nurture a love for music, especially in children and young people, because musical curiosity can be a driving force, and the joys and challenges of musical learning support learning in other fields, helping children to develop patience with themselves and others, through music making. The social bonds people of all ages forge, just by sitting side-by-side and playing their instruments are strong and lasting, and they transcend the divisions of age, gender, race, politics and religion. This is even true for people sitting next to each other and enjoying listening to a concert! As we engage with what we are hearing, we engage with one another, and this communal experience makes ripples in our lives beyond the concert experience. I recently had a concert-goer assure me that he felt “cleansed on the inside”, and “a better human being” after listening to music by Schubert! That’s the power of music!
Did the Measure U grant funding make it possible for you to offer programming that would not have been available otherwise?
Yes, absolutely. Measure U funding first of all allows us to maintain a wide scope of musical activities, year-round, year-after-year. It allows us continuity in our planning, which is truly essential when it comes to our work with young people. In order to help an individual student to develop their musical skills, and in order to guide groups of musicians in playing together, we need to map out a student’s path over many years of learning; musical learning simply cannot be achieved in a project format. In addition, if your goal is to open people’s ears and hearts to the beauty of great music - you cannot do it in a few concerts, every now and then. You need to be able to offer access on a regular basis, because you want to give people that chance to make the music experience become part of their often busy lives. And Classical music is not a monolithic thing: there are so many different styles in which composers write music, over many centuries and across many cultures.
Measure U funding allows us also to contract guest artists to support the Felici Winter concert series, the Unbound Chamber Music Festival in the summertime and to strengthen the forces of the Eastern Sierra Chamber Orchestra, which is a community group of amateur players and often does not have all the instruments/players that are needed to present a complete work. Without a somewhat predictable budget, we cannot invite other musicians, and we cannot attract the caliber of artists that book out, in some cases years in advance.
How did the Measure U grant funding help your program/organization to provide opportunities for locals to engage with arts/culture/mobility/recreation?
Measure U funding is not the only source of funding for CMU. We work hard to garner fiscal support for our programs from a great variety of funding sources, within and beyond our community. However, Measure U funding has been central for giving our programs greater continuity and visibility, which in turn makes them easier to access by local people. Because “Kids Concerts” happen every year, because new student recruitment happens at the beginning of every school year, because the Unbound Chamber Music Festival returns every summer these programs become part of the community’s cultural fabric. And the posters and brochures around town, as well as the newspaper ads and articles remind local audiences of upcoming concerts, and people can enjoy music whenever they are ready. Most importantly: they need not forgo an opportunity for their children’s education for lack of funds. Measure U makes it possible for everyone to participate.
What is the next big thing happening with your organization/program?
The next big thing always seems to be just around the corner: this weekend we opened our winter concert series with a beautiful program of French chamber music - and a quartet by the little-known but fabulous Louise Heritte-Viardot, who celebrates her Spanish heritage in this lovely work. None of us musicians had ever played or even heard music by this composer who lived from 1841 to 1918. Now we are preparing our students for their first performance around Halloween with songs like “If I Were a Little Ghost”, or “Rosin Eating Zombies from Outer Space”. Preparing young students for a concert is always fun as their enthusiasm is so palpable… Our goal is to help those who might be just a tad fearful to translate worry into excitement! Then, on November 1st, the Felici Trio will present a concert program that celebrates both Halloween and Dia de los Muertos. In “Ghosted” you will hear some tongue-in-cheek pieces composed not long ago, plus a trio by Beethoven that was inspired by the ghost of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”. We hope you can join us!
Do you have any words of advice for other programs/organizations that might be looking at applying for Measure U funding?
Take the long view: get to know the community - and trust your gut. Look for ways to serve the people who make this beautiful place their home and who work hard to make it a wonderful place to visit. Being so far from any major population center is both a blessing and a challenge. How can you contribute to making life here better or more beautiful? How can you connect Mammoth’s residents to the world? How can you help the young people growing up here to develop their talents and skills? How can you help them experience community in the deepest sense of the word? It took Chamber Music Unbound many years of groundwork before receiving fiscal support from the TOML. Be patient, and don’t give up!
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.