Lizzy Galloway received the 2022-23 Undergraduate Scholar Award from Georgia College and State University. She wrote this letter after receiving the Award. Music has always been an integral part of my life for as long as I can remember, and pursuing an education pathway in my music degree has been one of the most important…
This is one in a series of blog posts featuring each one of The Presser Foundation’s Board and Committee members. These individuals come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences but have one trait in common – they love music. Keep an eye out on the series to learn more about each member, their background,…
By Abby Rolland 2024 marks the start of a strategic planning process for The Presser Foundation. This initiative is meant to engage the Board, staff, and grantees in ensuring that the Foundation is achieving the long-held mission to provide philanthropic support for music and music education and to fund the musical arts in their many…
By Sepehr Pirasteh, Graduate Music Fellow As a Ph.D. student in composition at Temple University, my passion for music goes beyond the classroom. I crave diverse sounds and connections, and my experience as a Graduate Fellow at The Presser Foundation has been nothing short of transformative. In this post, I want to share my journey…
In her capacity as Executive Director of The Presser Foundation, Teresa Rodgers serves as the chair of Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia’s Arts & Culture Funders Community of Practice. This Community of Practice is where a variety of arts focused grantmakers meet to discuss support for the arts, relevant trends, and other topics related to the…
The Assistance to Music Teachers grantmaking area is a unique and longstanding program of The Presser Foundation’s. Founder Theodore Presser cared deeply about supporting retired music teachers and also felt a sense of gratitude for the thousands of music teachers who were the primary customers of his music publication business. Over the years, the program…
By Sepehr Pirasteh, Graduate Music Fellow A major challenge for ensembles focused on historical music, like baroque or medieval, is diversifying their programming. While commissioning or performing new works is an approach for some groups, it might not always be feasible for organizations dedicated to performing a particular period of music. A more nuanced…
Above from left to right: Ayanna Woods of the The Crossing, Ariel Alvarado of Wilmington Children’s Chorus, and Chill Moody of The Mann Center Three of the Foundation’s grantee partners received Special Project grants to support fellowship/residency programs – music performer The Crossing (single year grant), music presenter The Mann Center for the Performing…
La Tasha Butler received the 2022-23 Undergraduate Scholar Award from Arizona State University (ASU). She wrote this letter after receiving the Award and answered several questions about her experiences at ASU. I started playing violin in the fourth grade. You can imagine what a fourth grader learning violin sounds like, but to me it was…
It’s been a busy 2023 at The Presser Foundation! With music at the center of all we do, the Board, Committees, and staff have been actively engaged in facilitating grant cycles, communicating with grantees in a variety of ways, attending site visits and performances, hosting virtual Next Movement Idea Forums, embarking on a strategic planning…