Minnesota Orchestra surpasses $20,000 fundraising goal for innovative Musical MicroCommission project

Hundreds of donors contribute gifts ranging from $1 to $1,500 to fund creation of a major new symphonic work by New York-based composer Judd Greenstein

Gifts still accepted to offset publishing costs; premiere set for March 2012

(September 20, 2011) -- The Minnesota Orchestra today announced that its Musical MicroCommission project, a grassroots-funded initiative to commission a large-scale orchestral work by composer Judd Greenstein, has surpassed its $20,000 fundraising goal, with more than 400 music supporters from Minnesota and around the country making the cause a success. Unlike standard commissions, which are usually funded by one or several large donations, the MicroCommission drew donations ranging from $1 to $1,500 to support the project. The Orchestra will continue to accept donations to help offset the costs of producing the musical score and orchestral parts.

The premiere of Greenstein’s half-hour piece, scheduled for March 30 and 31, 2012, will be the culminating event of the Orchestra’s 2011-12 Inside the Classics series, which is led by Principal Conductor of Pops and Presentations Sarah Hicks and hosted by Orchestra violist Sam Bergman. Full information on the project is available at insidetheclassics.org.

“Over the course of a few months, the MicroCommission has gone from a dream to a fully funded reality,” says Bergman. “We’re so grateful to the many people who’ve embraced this project and literally invested in Judd’s music—which we look forward to having in our hands and ready for our practice stands later this year.”

As part of the Orchestra’s Music on Demand program, the premiere of Greenstein’s new work will be recorded live in concert by Minnesota Public Radio, then made available for free download at minnesotaorchestra.org/musicondemand starting the week after the performance.

In the project’s next phase, donors and followers will have many opportunities to connect with Greenstein through the Inside the Classics blog as well as through audio and video features and personal appearances in the Twin Cities. Following each Inside the Classics concert in November 2011 and January 2012, one of his chamber works will be performed by Orchestra musicians. For the MicroCommission premiere concerts in March 2012, Greenstein will join Hicks and Bergman onstage to illuminate various aspects of his new piece.

More about the MicroCommission
The Orchestra frequently commissions major new symphonic works, but the MicroCommission is the first of its kind—resulting in new orchestral music that would not have existed without grassroots donor support.

The MicroCommission fundraising effort, launched in November 2010, has received donations online as well as in person at Inside the Classics concerts in March and May 2011. The following is a sampling of fundraising statistics:

• $20,578—total raised from 339 named donors and many anonymous donors
• 198 named donors making their first-ever gift to the Orchestra, averaging $40.10 per gift
• $13,442—raised online from 260 named donors, averaging $51.70 per online donation
• $8,863—raised at Inside the Classics concerts from many named and anonymous donors

More about the Inside the Classics series
Inside the Classics, a three-concert series launched in 2007, takes audiences beyond the notes on the page and behind the scenes of the Minnesota Orchestra, offering a window into the fascinating world of professional music-making. Hicks and Bergman present an entertaining and informative exploration of musical narratives on each program’s first half, complete with lively discussion and musical examples. After intermission, the Orchestra gives a full performance of the featured work.

The 2011-12 Inside the Classics season opens in November 2011 with a program spotlighting Shostakovich’s triumphant Fifth Symphony; continues in January 2012 with a look at a modern American masterpiece, John Adams’ orchestral autobiography My Father Knew Charles Ives; and closes with the premiere of Greenstein’s new work in March 2012.

Profile: Judd Greenstein, composer
New York City native Judd Greenstein has drawn acclaim as one of America’s top emerging composers, and was recently named one of the top 100 under-40 composers by NPR Music and WQXR. His music draws influence from a range of genres, including hip-hop, Romantic classical, Motown and soul, and it has received performances at Carnegie Hall, the Tanglewood Festival, the Bang on a Can Marathon, Amsterdam’s Muziekgebouw and numerous other venues and festivals. In addition to his work as a composer, he is active as a promoter of new music around the U.S. He is the managing director of NOW Ensemble and co-director of the acclaimed New Amsterdam Records label.

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Subscription packages and single tickets for the 2011-12 Inside the Classics season are now available at insidetheclassics.org, by phone at (612) 371-5656 or (800) 292-4141, or at the Orchestra Hall Box Office in downtown Minneapolis.

The 2011-12 Inside the Classics season is part of The Wallace Foundation Excellence Award initiative.

Delta Air Lines is the official airline of the Minnesota Orchestra’s 2011-12 season.

The Star Tribune, 830 WCCO-AM and 102.9 LiteFM are the Minnesota Orchestra’s media partners for the 2011-12 season.

This activity is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Minnesota State Arts Board through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature from the State’s general fund and its arts and cultural heritage fund with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.

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