CIM Announces Minority Artist Fellowship for African-American and Latino Students in Grades 7-9

“The road to Carnegie Hall just got a little wider,” wrote Zachary Lewis of the Plain Dealer remarking on CIM’s new Minority Artist Fellowship Program (MAF).  And that’s exactly CIM’s aim. The MAF program was carefully designed to provide individual instruction and support to develop the musical talents of young African-American and Latino musicians, with lead funding generously provided by the George Gund Foundation and the Cleveland Foundation.

"CIM's Minority Artist Fellowship will help address the significant lack of diversity in American conservatories, chamber ensembles, symphony orchestras and other classical music professions," said CIM President & CEO Paul W. Hogle. "CIM's legendary Preparatory and Young Artists programs are uniquely positioned to empower young student musicians with high-quality instruction and training. Just as elite student athletes need coaching and mentoring from a young age, by matching young music students with the Institute's master teachers, we can help create a robust talent pipeline that leads to more diversity on our campuses and ultimately in our field."

The inaugural class of fellows will take weekly lessons and classes with CIM faculty, participate in ensembles, give performances, attend master classes and workshops and with their families, meet regularly with CIM mentors and program leaders to set goals and share feedback. Fellows will receive a full scholarship covering all areas of study in the MAF program.

"The Cleveland Institute of Music is one of the nation's premier music conservatories," said Ronn Richard, President  & CEO of the Cleveland Foundation. "The Cleveland Foundation is proud to recognize and support the work CIM is doing here to foster student success. By creating a sequential path of instruction and support for these students and their families, together we can prepare the talented young musicians of Cleveland for conservatory training and classical music careers."

David T. Abbott, Executive Director of the George Gund Foundation, said: "With this new program, CIM is positioned to lead and effect change, both in Cleveland and on the national stage. Dedicating resources to our shared vision of inclusion and diversity will make an immeasurable difference in the lives of these talented young musicians, and we look forward to tracking their success in the coming years."

The program is currently open to musicians entering grades 7, 8 and 9 in August 2017. Applications are due by August 14; more information and application materials are available here.