Quire Cleveland 2023-2024 Community Grants Initiative

The Quire Cleveland 2023-2024 Grants Initiative is a program intended to foster the growth of early a cappella vocal ensemble music in north/central Ohio.

Are you:

• a music teacher (K-12) or choir director (middle or high school, church, or volunteer choir) who would like to provide your students or members with some education and coaching in singing Renaissance polyphony and chant – taught by professional singers?
• someone who works at a publicly accessible performing arts venue (or a place that could be a venue for a public performance), like a school, church, non-profit organization, community center, library – even a retail space – and would like to host a free performance (or educational activity) in your space?
• a professional singer with experience in a cappella early vocal ensemble music (e.g., Renaissance polyphony and chant) who would like to curate and perform a public concert, in-service training, and/or educational activity with an ensemble of professional singers you select?

A grant from Quire Cleveland could fund the project you’ve been dreaming of – or one you’ve never imagined! Paired with our final concert series, Churches of the Same God: Mass Settings of Byrd and Tallis in early fall 2023, this initiative will invest Quire Cleveland’s remaining financial reserves in the production of grant-funded performances and experiences of this treasured genre of music, and, hopefully, seed the creation of some new local ensembles during our final season.

These community grants – of up to $5000 each – are available to fund professional singer fees for collaborative projects that pair a group of professional singers with a hosting venue. A typical partnership might involve the choir director or a staff singer at a hosting church, or a music teacher/choir director at a hosting school. Venues and singers are encouraged to seek out partners to develop a collaborative project proposal and submit an application together.

Here are some obvious examples of possible project models, but we’re certainly open to other creative ideas.

• a series of rehearsals leading to a public concert performance by a small ensemble of professional singers.
• an educational activity led by a group of professional singers – for K-12 students, teachers, or amateur singers. Educational activities should include or culminate in a public performance.
• an experiential activity that provides an opportunity for amateur singers to experience singing polyphony and/or chant along with a group of professional singers.

Projects must take place before June 1, 2024 in Cuyahoga or adjacent counties of Ohio. The next application deadline is July 1, 2023. If you’re curious and want more information, check out the detailed guidelines and application form. We’re happy to answer your questions if you’ll send them to info@quirecleveland.org.

These experiences – and the grants – are intended to be broadly accessible, so please feel free to share this announcement with friends and colleagues who might be interested in developing a project to submit by the July 1 application deadline. We’re hoping that the singers, choir directors, music teachers, and other lovers of a cappella early vocal chamber music in our extended Quire Cleveland family will consider applying for one of these grant-funded opportunities to curate and produce free performance and/or educational experiences for audiences and students in northern and central Ohio.