Colburn School Awards Social Innovation Grants to Support BIPOC Community

The grant recipients will receive up to $2500 and have 12 months to complete engagement projects that benefit the Black, Indigenous, or People of Color community

Recipients of the grant include:

• Oboist Eder Rivera with The Honduras Oboe Foundation
• Violinist Gregory Lewis with The Heartbeat Music Project
• Clarinetist Max Opferkuch's new album for clarinet and strings by Black composers
• Trumpeter Melissa Muñoz with Brass Out Loud

Eder Rivera's involvement with The Honduras Oboe Foundation includes working with oboe communities in the United States and Honduras to facilitate a culture of excellence in oboe instruction. The funding given to Rivera will be used to purchase oboes, supplies, and other necessary means for successful outreach for students in Honduras.

As one of the founders of The Heartbeat Music Project, Gregory Lewis will use the funds to purchase instruments and high-speed internet to help the Navajo Nation youth participate in remote learning.

Max Opferkuch will use the funding to record an album full of works for clarinet and strings, all by Black composers. These composers include Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Jesse Montgomery, and Florence Price.

Melissa Muñoz' involvement with Brass Out Loud's will facilitate an environment for brass players who are Black, Indigenous, People of Color, LGBTQIA+, female, etc. This organization's goal is to support brass players who have felt underrepresented.

“Colburn School’s mission is founded on the belief that the pursuit of an exceptional performing arts education is accessible to all,” said the Dean for Community Initiatives, Nathaniel Zeisler.

“The Center for Innovation and Community Impact upholds that commitment with several community-forward initiatives designed to support artistic development by considering our larger culture and society. We are very proud to offer the Social Innovation Grants and support our young grant recipients and their inclusive artistic pursuits.”