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Chicago Sinfonietta Continues Its Commitment to Diversity
With Largest Project Inclusion Class to Date
CHICAGO (August 15, 2019) – In a continuation of its commitment to equity, inclusion, and changing the face of classical music, Chicago Sinfonietta has announced its incoming class for its groundbreaking Project Inclusion Freeman Fellowship Program (PI).
Chicago Sinfonietta Founder Maestro Paul Freeman
Now in its 12th year Chicago Sinfonietta founder Paul Freeman created Project Inclusion to provide mentorship and professional development to diverse and emerging musicians, conductors, and arts administrators. Freeman and CS staff thoughtfully designed the program, which has grown to three multifaceted fellowship tracks, to eliminate institutional bias due to ethnicity, race, and socioeconomics, in hopes of making classical music accessible to all. Chicago Sinfonietta’s PI fellows come from across the globe country to work closely with Music Director Mei-Ann Chen, staff members, CS musicians, and key supporters of the organization to gain hands-on experience to help them compete for and win jobs in U.S. orchestras. The Orchestra and Conducting Fellows will attend, conduct, and perform at Chicago Sinfonietta’s concerts throughout the 2019-2020 season, Dialogue.
“Nothing Chicago Sinfonietta does captures the legacy of our late founder, Maestro Paul Freeman, like the Project Inclusion Freeman Fellowship program,” said Chicago Sinfonietta CEO Jim Hirsch. “Paul had an incredible eye for talent and a life-long commitment to nurturing orchestral musicians, soloists, composers, and conductors from diverse backgrounds. This year’s class of Project Inclusion fellows would make Maestro proud and they will soon take their places on the stages and podiums of orchestras in the years to come.”
Assistant Conductor Jonathan Rush
Former PI Conducting alumnus Jonathan Rush (left) will serve as Assistant Conductor for the 2019-2020 season, working alongside this year’s PI fellows and taking the podium at this year’s MLK Tribute Concert.
“I am so thrilled to serve as Assistant Conductor with the Sinfonietta,” said Rush. “It’s truly an honor to be able to continue in Maestro Freeman’s vision, alongside America’s most diverse orchestra. I’m excited to continue changing the faces of classical with my Chicago Sinfonietta family.”
The 2019-2020 Project Inclusion Freeman Conducting Fellows are Dr. Antoine T. Clark, Alexandra Enyart, and Aaron King Vaughan. Former PI Orchestral Fellow Kyle Dickson, along with newcomers Taichi Fukumura and Yabetza Vivas Irizarry, will serve as Auditors.
The 2019-2020 Project Inclusion Freeman Orchestral Fellows are Najette Abouelhadi (cello), Fahad Awan (violin), Alison Lovera (violin), and Seth Pae (viola).
2018-19 Project Inclusion Freeman Fellows
“Project Inclusion is about diversity, talent, and developing talent without bias so that young, promising individuals can go on to contribute to what we see and hear on the world’s stages,” said Music Director Chen It is an honor to further Maestro Freeman’s ideals and nurture the incredible artists that are participating in the 2019-2020 fellowship program. Our past fellows have gone on to make their mark in the arts with major positions in the industry, and this season’s fellows hold the same promise. It is my dream come true to witness Maestro Freeman’s legacy being carried far and wide through the expansion of Sinfonietta’s fellowship program and how it impacts our industry in deep and meaningful ways!”
For more information about Project Inclusion, visit chicagosinfonietta.org
About the Sinfonietta
Now approaching its 32nd season, Chicago Sinfonietta continues to push artistic boundaries under the baton of Maestro Mei-Ann Chen and organizational leadership of Jim Hirsch and Courtney Perkins. The orchestra is dedicated to providing an alternative way of hearing, seeing and thinking about a symphony orchestra and promoting diversity, inclusion, racial and cultural equity in the arts. In 2016, Chicago Sinfonietta was the proud recipient of the 2016 Spirit of Innovation Award presented by the Chicago Innovation Awards as well as the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s prestigious MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions (MACEI). The MacArthur award recognizes exceptional organizations that are key contributors in their fields.
Chicago Sinfonietta is grateful to its 2019-2020 Project Inclusion supporters including: The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellow Foundation, The Joyce Foundation, Crown Family Philanthropies, and technology supporter CDW.
