On Aug. 2, New York state announced the awards for the first round of Restart NY: Rapid Live Performance Grants.
773 grants were awarded to 438 organizations across the state, each funding a specific live performance project.
The funding is being administered by the New York State Council on the Arts, which is overseeing the disbursement of nearly $105 million in funding for its Restart NY program overall. $30 million of that funding has been distributed so far.
The grants in this round totaled around $9 million, including $2 million of which that was distributed to the New York State Council on the Arts”™s Statewide Community Regrant program partners, which will go toward funding performances in local municipalties around the state.
“This is an extraordinarily challenging time for the arts and culture sector, and we recognize that it calls for responsive action,” said Mara Manus, executive director of the State Council on the Arts. “The goal of our Restart NY: Rapid Live Performance grants program is to quickly provide needed funds to support performance organizations, artists and creative professionals that have been unable to produce live, in-person performances for more than a year.
“These awards reflect NYSCA’s FY2022 priorities with 75% of grants awarded to organizations with operating budgets of less than $1 million,” McManus continued. “The arts, including live performances, drive our state’s economy and cultural tourism, inspire audiences, and bring communities together — the NYSCA team is excited to welcome back live performance statewide.”
Several organizations in Westchester are among the beneficiaries of the funding, including:
- The Aquila Theatre Co., which will receive two grants of $10,000 each for its Great Gatsby staged reading and Warrior Chorus staged reading.
- The Aston Magna Foundation for Music and the Humanities, which will receive two grants of $10,000 each for the September Live Concert and the December Concert at Hudson Hall.
- Bethany Arts Community Inc., which will receive two grants of $10,000 each for a performance by Christopher Williams and Liz Lerman and a fall multidisciplinary program.
- The Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, which will receive two grants of $10,000 each to contribute to funding its 2021 Summer Season and 2021 Fall Season.
- The Copland House, which will receive two grants of $10,000 each to fund the September and October iteration of its Church of Bronxville series and the November iteration of the series, in addition to a concert at the Town of Cortlandt Waterfront Park.
- The Taconic Opera, which will receive two grants of $5,000 each to fund its performances of Lucia di Lammermoor and Manon Lescaut.
- Friends of the Mozartina, which will receive two grants of $10,000 each to fund a series of live performances, including those by Eaglemania, Squeeze, Ben Folds, Maru Chapin Carpenter, Marc Cohn, Shawn Colvin, Norm Macdonald, Martin Sexton and KT Tunstall.
- The Symphony of Westchester, which will receive two grants of $5,000 each for its All Baroque Program Concert and its Mostly Mozart Concert.
This round of funding is the first of four. Dates have not yet been released for when the next rounds will be disbursed.
