By Sepehr Pirasteh, Graduate Music Fellow As the Graduate Music Fellow at the Presser Foundation, I had the opportunity to interview Badie Khaleghian, one of the recipients of the Graduate Music Award and ask about his project, Sounds of Freedom. Badie is a DMA student at Rice University, and I had been following his artistic…
By Sepehr Pirasteh, Graduate Music Fellow In the ever-evolving landscape of the music field, there’s a growing recognition of the need to diversify concert programs and decolonize our musical repertoire. But how can we effectively navigate this complex terrain? Community engagement emerges as a pivotal strategy in this endeavor. The Presser Foundation hosted a Next…
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…
Kevin Lopez received the 2021-22 Undergraduate Scholar Award from Texas Woman’s University (TWU) and applied the award funds as a scholarship. He shared his background and what the award means to him with the Foundation. What does receiving this scholarship assistance mean to you? I am beyond appreciative to receive this scholarship assistance. As…
By Dr. Susan Dantoni Susan Dantoni received the 2021-22 Undergraduate Scholar Award from Roberts Wesleyan University. She wrote this thank you letter to the Foundation. I wish to express my sincere appreciation for the opportunity afforded me of being selected as the Roberts Wesleyan University Presser Scholar for the 2022-2023 school year. There were many…
By Abbey Young 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 make a distinguished…
By Abby Rolland Recently, The Presser Foundation hosted the fourth iteration of its virtual Next Movement event series, this time focusing on (Nonprofit) Boards & DEI. The Foundation plans to host three Next Movement events every year, and at least one of those each year will focus on topics around DEI (August 2021 spotlighted four partner…
Pianist Laura Ward, soprano Magdalena Kuzma (center) and mezzo Sun-Ly Pierce at the Academy of Vocal Arts. Photo courtesy of The Chestnut Hill Local. By Baker Purdon, Music Fellow When I accepted The Presser Foundation’s Graduate Music Fellowship, I knew I would have the opportunity to see some of the best performances Philadelphia has at…