By Abby Rolland Last spring, we saw a trend within the Capital Support grantmaking area – multiple music organizations of varying sizes and foci were applying for funds to tailor or design a Customer Relationship Management system (CRM). In its basic definition, a CRM helps businesses manage their interactions with customers and potential customers. For…
Image: A graphic of choral music singers In the fall of 2023, Bucks County Choral Society’s Artistic Director Thomas Lloyd penned an article for The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians about whether the choral music space has changed since the murder of George Floyd in 2020. Here, we delve into some of his…
Image: A preliminary rendering of Tanda Francis’ Marian Anderson sculpture shows how it would appear. Courtesy of Tanda Francis. In 2020, Philadelphia Inquirer Arts & Culture reporter Peter Dobrin proposed that Philadelphia needed “a sculpture or monument to Marian Anderson, the late singer, civil rights figure, and city daughter, and it should sit smack dab…
A collage of 2023-24 Presser Scholar Award recipients. One year ago, The Presser Foundation implemented several significant changes to the Undergraduate Scholar Award program. These changes included adding 32 Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) to the program, shifting the focus from institution to student recipient with the addition of a…
As part of our Next Movement Series, The Presser Foundation is hosting a conversation focused on Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems.* The event will take place on Tuesday, September 24th from 12-1:15pm ET on Zoom. The Foundation is eager to welcome leaders at five music organizations to share information about utilizing CRMs to connect with audiences,…
In a guest blog post written for Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia, staff discussed transparency, why it matters in the work of philanthropy, and how it is manifested at The Presser Foundation. Here, we seek to add another concept related to transparency that has been practiced for the past ten years at the Foundation – having…
Wilmington Children’s Chorus Ariel Alvarado during her Fellowship year. By Ariel Alvarado One would imagine a children’s chorus would solely serve children, but this year the Wilmington Children’s Chorus (WCC) expanded its services to include a twenty-four-year-old. Some background: WCC is an organization dedicated to empowering young people to change their world through music. This…
Summer intern Chris Dolich with fellow intern Kayleigh Howard outside the former Presser Home for Retired Music Teachers. By Chris Dolich, The Presser Foundation Summer Intern During my time as a summer intern at The Presser Foundation, I have been exposed to the many ways that the Board and staff strive to achieve their mission…
Shayna Singer received the 2023-24 Undergraduate Scholar Award from Florida State University. She wrote this letter after receiving the Award. Dear Presser Foundation, My name is Shayna Singer, and I am a senior in the class of 2024 studying vocal performance and choral music education! I am originally from Manhattan but moved to Delray Beach,…
By Sepehr Pirasteh Being a composer can feel a bit like living in an artist’s cave. We spend countless hours absorbed in our own creative worlds, meticulously crafting something that eventually blossoms into art. However, my fellowship at The Presser Foundation pushed me to crack the walls of my creative isolation, forcing me to step…