Photo: Trustee William McLaughlin (center) reading the resolution in honor of retiring Trustee Jeffrey Cornelius (right) At The Presser Foundation’s June Annual Board Meeting, the Trustees, Committee Members, and staff of the Foundation shared a resolution honoring Dr. Jeffrey Cornelius’ leadership and service to the Foundation as a Trustee since 2003 and as Board President…
By Baker Purdon Classical music has long been regarded as a cherished cultural tradition, inspiring and captivating audiences for centuries. However, it is no secret that music, particularly classical music, has struggled with diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and belonging (DEIAB) issues throughout its history. In this blog post, I explore the issues of representation in…
The ||:HerClassical:|| logo By Alissa Freeman Invited annually, graduate schools of music present the Presser Graduate Music Award to an outstanding graduate music student whom they select. The program is designed to encourage and support in a special way the advanced education and career of truly exceptional graduate music students who have the potential to…
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,…
A collage of some of the Presser Undergraduate Scholar Award recipients from 2021-22. Theodore Presser, the founder of The Presser Foundation, had a passion for music education. The music publisher began his career as a music educator. When he created the Foundation, he committed it to “music education and music philanthropy.” The Presser Foundation has…
Photo Description: A performance at Esperanza Arts Center in 2020-2021 Pulled from reports written by Bill Rhoads and Daniel de Jesús, organized by Abby Rolland* As part of The Presser Foundation’s drive to be more transparent and to amplify the work of its partners, it uses information from grant reports to highlight its grantees. Each…
A photo of the Delaware County Youth Orchestra at their recent spring performance. By Baker Purdon In the final installment of this Tour of Regional Orchestras series (See Part I and Part II), I wanted to step away from the orchestra as a whole and tell the story of what it takes to join one…
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 Baker Purdon Chamber music is a classical music genre performed by a smaller group of musicians than you would see in an orchestra. Historically (and contemporaneously), these concerts can often be performed in what we used to call chambers, or small rooms, in a home. More often than not, however, chamber music is now…
By Teresa Rodgers and Abby Rolland It’s easy to be inspired when you work in philanthropy. At The Presser Foundation, we work with hundreds of music organizations dedicated to music performance, music presentation, and music education. Every one of these organizations sees music as a way to connect, to inspire, to serve, and to bridge…