Oct. 20, 2021

For immediate release

Contact: Shelby Mattingly

303-355-7855

shelby@insidetheorchestra.org

NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS GRANT AWARDED TO INSIDE THE ORCHESTRA

DENVER –The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is awarding Inside the Orchestra (IO) with an Arts Engagement in the Community award, which includes a $10,000 grant.

“The arts make communities more vibrant and fulfilling places, help us to heal, and strengthen our nation’s economy,” said Ann Eilers, acting chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. “The National Endowment for the Arts is committed to supporting organizations nationwide.

The COVID-19 pandemic created serious economic setbacks for arts and culture organizations that are still ongoing. The grant awarded by the NEA allows IO to continue to bring music to children and provide a more equitable arts space. 

“It’s impossible to overstate the impact COVID has had on performing arts organizations like Inside the Orchestra,” said Shelby Mattingly, executive director of Inside the Orchestra. “Our entire way of operating changed overnight, so we took this as a challenge and an opportunity to bring music to kids in new ways. Our work is not possible without the support of grants and individual donors.”

IO is releasing a new, yearlong virtual curriculum that is free to all schools and will be available in English, Spanish and French. The curriculum releases at the end of October.

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Inside the Orchestra is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to bring music to children, cultivating music appreciation and enhancing their education through engaging, interactive experience with orchestral music. Inside the Orchestra strives to increase equity among metro Denver’s communities by reducing barriers to the performing arts and ensuring that orchestra music is accessible to all children. Inside the Orchestra works toward achieving these goals by providing public music education programs and programs in the school system at a reduced cost or free to anyone who needs it. You can find Inside the Orchestra on Facebook and Instagram at InsideOrchestra, and on Pinterest at InsidetheOrchestra.