36 Monterey County GIVES! 2023 mcgives.com Arts & Culture DONate online mcgives.com Monterey Peninsula Voices Year Founded: 1962 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 2 paid, 13 volunteers Budget: $85,000 296-2211 mpvoices.org Big Idea: Monterey Peninsula Voices prepares to present its Big Idea, “The Really Big Prom Night,” in May 2024. The lineup for this community concert includes everything frivolous, fun, and full of retro spirit. This community chorus celebrates “the new and unusual,” providing a welcoming place for a diverse group of singers. Last year, Voices paired up with singers from Salinas and Pacific Grove high schools, inspiring the idea for this year’s Big Idea— for an intergenerational celebration of everything that’s memorable about high school. “When I attended my first rehearsal at the persistent urging of a friend from a church choir, I was not sure if I was good enough to be in Monterey Peninsula Voices. I was instantly welcomed warmly and made to feel right at home. Why am I still there 20 seasons later? It’s not just the joy of singing; it’s also the camaraderie and the wonderful friends I never would have known otherwise. Monterey Peninsula Voices is not just a choir—it’s a whole new family.” -John Lett Musikiwest Year Founded: 2017 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 1 paid, 4 volunteers Budget: $48,162 (650) 815-1666 musikiwest.org Big Idea: Musikiwest uses chamber music to promote conflict resolution and build peaceable, collaborative communities. This nonprofit’s innovative Big Idea now operates out of Sand City’s SandBox, an incubator for art and culture. The SandBox has offered more than 68 diverse events since August 2021, ranging from classical music to jazz, folk, dance, film, and theater. Donations to Musikiwest help support their operations in the SandBox, including artists’ fees, rent, utilities, bookkeeping, piano tuning, development and marketing costs. “I was at your amazing space last night for the ‘Music Heals’ concert and can’t remember when I was so thrilled by a musical performance last. First, the space you’ve constructed has great acoustics, is designed beautifully, and encourages community interaction. Second, to hear great musicians close-up, see how they interact, experience how collegial they are, how much they enjoy making music together, how years of practice and study and focus is presented as a gift, and gave me a new reason for living! It was an evening of total magic. You have organized the perfect space and invited the most talented to join you.” -Susan Meister National Steinbeck Center Year Founded: 1998 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 12 paid, 5 volunteers Budget: $600,000 775-4721 steinbeck.org Big Idea: The Steinbeck Young Authors program offered by the National Steinbeck Center includes a targeted middle school curriculum where students share their creativity and imagination through Steinbeck-themed writing prompts. Participating students attend an awards night and their work is celebrated in a printed anthology. After many successful years, this nonprofit’s Big Idea includes a revamp of the Young Authors program and an expansion of Steinbeck’s artistic influence to more educational settings, like homeschools, military bases and international academies. “We always enjoy taking our groups to the National Steinbeck Center. The space is great and the guides always take into consideration the works that the students are reading and make sure to tailor their teachings and tours to the students.” -Lisa Fierman, York School teacher Old Monterey Foundation Year Founded: 2011 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 5 paid, 40 volunteers Budget: $120,000 346-3030 oldmontereyfoundation.org Big Idea: Bears and birds and sea otters. Steinbeck and Ricketts and Cannery Row. Historic downtown Monterey provides iconic symbols and imagery everywhere you turn. The Old Monterey Foundation’s Big Idea involves capturing these sigYouth Music Monterey County Year Founded: 1988 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 11 paid, 105 volunteers Budget: $471,600 375-1992 youthmusicmonterey.org Big Idea: Youth Music Monterey County celebrates the successful merger with Orchestra in the Schools as its Big Idea this year. The combination of these two youth music institutions represents about 400 young people across 30 schools in Monterey County. With these two organizations joining forces, students can experience a smooth continuum of youth orchestra experiences, from entry-level to advanced ensembles. Students learn creativity, discipline and collaboration, rehearsing every week and performing at community events, senior living centers and spring recitals. “Youth Music Monterey County (YMMC) has been a unique gateway for me into the world of classical music. The organization provided an environment that exposed me to various styles of works and composers, allowed me to explore music in small chamber ensembles, and allowed me to mature my musical knowledge as I worked alongside other talented and determined musicians in the large orchestral setting. My time in YMMC has been one of many experiences that has influenced me to pursue music in college—I will be studying music education and oboe performance in the fall at UCLA.” -Cayden Bloomer, 19 spotlight
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==