The Entrepreneurial Musicianship team at the New England Conservatory (NEC) created the "Grow Your Art" grant to deliver funding to current students or recent graduates who wish to develop the business side of their musical careers.
Winners will collaborate with American composer Maria Schneider in a residency at NEC, delivering public masterclasses, panel discussions, and workshops pertaining to music business and entrepreneurship.
The residency will culminate in a digital concert featuring NEC students coached by Maria Schneider and performing her music, which will be aired on March 10.
First prize and $7,500 went to Emily Eng's Lift Music Fund, a monthly microgrant project for Black, Latinx, and Native American music students.
Second prize went to Darynn Dean's The Resolution Tour — a virtual series of seven live concert and film screenings that explore the stories of women in jazz, gender, and justice.
Joint third prize was awarded to Rafael Natan's School of Arts and Social Justice at Makeshift Boston, which brings together artists and social movements, and Linda Numagami and Benjamin Adler's The Clarinet Maestro Festival, devoted to the teaching philosophies of Yehuda Gilad.
