Cellists for Change is a for purpose, 501(c)(3) nonprofit that empowers youth through music by nurturing self-expression, cultivating belonging, and developing individual and collective agency.
Our Vision: Cellists for Change aspires to build a more equitable, inclusive and connected world by investing in young people, while making sustained progress toward ambitious community change initiatives and paradigm shifts within the classical music sphere.
Our Impact: We are committed to actualizing the realities that equity in access is transformational and representation matters. Cellists for Change works to achieve our mission and vision through three programs:
Our Story: Cellists for Change was founded in October of 2020, a year marked by the height of the devastating COVID pandemic, an increased national awakening of systemic racism after the tragid murder of George Floyd, and a horrifically polarizing presidental election. A call to action could not have been louder. It is imperative that we help our children stay strong, resilient, and confident with the understanding that each of us is essential to building a future more equitable, connected, and filled with promise. Since our founding, we have served over 1,800 youth and community members throughout Colorado, Iowa and the Western Highlands of Guatemala.
Our Programs
Local Youth Scholarships
What We Do: Cellists for Change aspires to ensure that youth of all identities have access to learning, creating and performing experiences. Our Local Youth Scholarship program provides comprehensive music instruction to youth who identify with historically underrepresented or excluded groups in classical music through full and partial scholarships covering individual and group lessons, instrument rentals, summer camp opportunities, professional concert attendance opportunities, masterclass and workshop experiences, music books and supplies.
Why Music?: Music education is incredibly important for our children, giving them countless essential life skills that are carried into adulthood and woven into the fabric of our society. Children in music lessons are known to have increased spatial intelligence, pattern recognition abilities, and hand-eye coordination. They learn how to work together, break daunting tasks into smaller, more manageable parts, and communicate effectively. The study of music builds imagination, fosters empathy and develops creative thinking, while giving children a way to process, explore and express their emotions and environment.
Who is Eligible?: Youth ages 3-18 with financial need who identify as a racial and/or ethnic minority or identify as LGBTQIA+
How to Apply: please email cellistsforchange@gmail.com for a Local Youth Scholarship application!
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Growing Cello Repertoire
What We Do: Cellists for Change is committed to commissioning new compositions that celebrate the voices of living BIPOC, women, and LGBTQIA+ aftists, as well as performing works from the rich canon of repertoire written by composers historically excluded in the classical sphere. Community youth cellists have had the profound honor of working directly with composers Kari Clifton, Sergio Marroquin, Lee Knight, Kari Kraakevik and poet André O. Hoilette to premiere eight works since 2020.
New Compositions:
To learn about our 2021 concert highlighting Seasons of Blight by Lee Knight and Andre Hoilette:
link to An Evening of Original Poetry and Music
To learn more about our 2022 concert for Carlitos in collaboration with Chase the Music:
link to Carlitos' Concert
Music Transcends Borders
What We Do: Cellists for Change is honored to have partnered with Escuela de Cuerdas, a school of music in Huehuetenango, Guatemala. Founded in 2011 by Sergio Rolando Marroquín de Léon, this cultural center offers high quality music education and concert opportunities to the people of the remote Western Highlands of Guatemala. The school is committed to supporting the aspirations of their students in an envirionment accessible to their potential and promoting the art of music through the Huehuetenango Philharmonic Orchestra and Ixim Project, an initiative that brings music and theater to children in rural indigenous Mayan communities. Escuela de Cuerdas aims to create a space for artistic expression, encourage respect for all artists and increase the cultural level of the municipality of Huehuetenango, while serving as a model for other organizations interested in building cultural spaces.
Our Impact: The collaborations stemming from Cellists for Change's partnership with Escuela de Cuerdas work to achieve the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals to improve our world and include:
If you know of a child who would be empowered by the mission and vision of Cellists for Change, please reach out to us at cellistsforchange@gmail.com!
Support Cellists for Change by donating via:
Venmo @Cellists-for-Change
or mail a check to:
Cellists for Change
PO Box 122
Ward, CO 80481
Be the first to know what CFC is up to by following us on FaceBook (CellistsforChange) and Instagram (@cellistsforchange)!
Coming Soon!
www.cellistsforchange.org
Our Vision: Cellists for Change aspires to build a more equitable, inclusive and connected world by investing in young people, while making sustained progress toward ambitious community change initiatives and paradigm shifts within the classical music sphere.
Our Impact: We are committed to actualizing the realities that equity in access is transformational and representation matters. Cellists for Change works to achieve our mission and vision through three programs:
- Local Youth Scholarships: Provides comprehensive music instruction to youth who identify with historically underrepresented or excluded groups in classical music
- Growing Cello Repertoire: Supports the commission and performance of new pieces that amplify and celebrate the voices of BIPOC, women and LGBTQIA+ artists
- Music Transcends Borders: Nurtures an international, collaborative partnership with Escuela de Cuerdas, a school of music in Huehuetenango, Guatemala
Our Story: Cellists for Change was founded in October of 2020, a year marked by the height of the devastating COVID pandemic, an increased national awakening of systemic racism after the tragid murder of George Floyd, and a horrifically polarizing presidental election. A call to action could not have been louder. It is imperative that we help our children stay strong, resilient, and confident with the understanding that each of us is essential to building a future more equitable, connected, and filled with promise. Since our founding, we have served over 1,800 youth and community members throughout Colorado, Iowa and the Western Highlands of Guatemala.
Our Programs
Local Youth Scholarships
What We Do: Cellists for Change aspires to ensure that youth of all identities have access to learning, creating and performing experiences. Our Local Youth Scholarship program provides comprehensive music instruction to youth who identify with historically underrepresented or excluded groups in classical music through full and partial scholarships covering individual and group lessons, instrument rentals, summer camp opportunities, professional concert attendance opportunities, masterclass and workshop experiences, music books and supplies.
Why Music?: Music education is incredibly important for our children, giving them countless essential life skills that are carried into adulthood and woven into the fabric of our society. Children in music lessons are known to have increased spatial intelligence, pattern recognition abilities, and hand-eye coordination. They learn how to work together, break daunting tasks into smaller, more manageable parts, and communicate effectively. The study of music builds imagination, fosters empathy and develops creative thinking, while giving children a way to process, explore and express their emotions and environment.
Who is Eligible?: Youth ages 3-18 with financial need who identify as a racial and/or ethnic minority or identify as LGBTQIA+
How to Apply: please email cellistsforchange@gmail.com for a Local Youth Scholarship application!
.
Growing Cello Repertoire
What We Do: Cellists for Change is committed to commissioning new compositions that celebrate the voices of living BIPOC, women, and LGBTQIA+ aftists, as well as performing works from the rich canon of repertoire written by composers historically excluded in the classical sphere. Community youth cellists have had the profound honor of working directly with composers Kari Clifton, Sergio Marroquin, Lee Knight, Kari Kraakevik and poet André O. Hoilette to premiere eight works since 2020.
New Compositions:
- Cello Crossings (2019) by Kari Clifton (Cello Quintet)
- El Zorro y El Principito (2019) by Sergio Marroquin (Cello Duet)
- October (2020) by Kari Clifton (Cello Quartet; additional arrangement for two violins & two cellos)
- Junio (2020) by Sergio Marroquin (Cello Solo)
- Seasons of Blight (2021) by Lee Knight and André O. Hoilette (Cello Quartet + Poet)
- Un Niño Imparable (2022) by Kari Clifton (Cello Quintet + Voice; additional arrangements for Cello Quartet + Voice, Cello Quintet, and Cello Sextet)
- Change is Constant (2022) by Kari Kraakevik (Cello Quartet)
- TBD (2022) by Kari Clifton (Cello Quartet
To learn about our 2021 concert highlighting Seasons of Blight by Lee Knight and Andre Hoilette:
link to An Evening of Original Poetry and Music
To learn more about our 2022 concert for Carlitos in collaboration with Chase the Music:
link to Carlitos' Concert
Music Transcends Borders
What We Do: Cellists for Change is honored to have partnered with Escuela de Cuerdas, a school of music in Huehuetenango, Guatemala. Founded in 2011 by Sergio Rolando Marroquín de Léon, this cultural center offers high quality music education and concert opportunities to the people of the remote Western Highlands of Guatemala. The school is committed to supporting the aspirations of their students in an envirionment accessible to their potential and promoting the art of music through the Huehuetenango Philharmonic Orchestra and Ixim Project, an initiative that brings music and theater to children in rural indigenous Mayan communities. Escuela de Cuerdas aims to create a space for artistic expression, encourage respect for all artists and increase the cultural level of the municipality of Huehuetenango, while serving as a model for other organizations interested in building cultural spaces.
Our Impact: The collaborations stemming from Cellists for Change's partnership with Escuela de Cuerdas work to achieve the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals to improve our world and include:
- Full Scholarships provided for ten youth living in an orphanage in Huehuetenango to study music with Escuela de Cuerdas
- Zoom Workshops and ongoing Correspondence Program between music students in Colorado and music students in Guatemala, allowing for valuable musical and cultural exchange
- Donation of 13 violins, 1 viola and 1 cellos (including bows and cases), as well as innumerable chin rests, shoulder rests, tailpieces, bridges, pegs, rosin, tuners, rockstops and music stands
- Masterclasses with Escuela de Cuerdas cello students
- Teacher Workshops with Escuela de Cuerdas cello teachers
- Professional Development for Escuela de Cuerdas faculty through the Suzuki Association of the Americas
- Collaborative Concerts with Escuela de Cuerdas students and teachers
- Collaborative Concert with the all women marimba band El Grupo Femenino de Marimba
If you know of a child who would be empowered by the mission and vision of Cellists for Change, please reach out to us at cellistsforchange@gmail.com!
Support Cellists for Change by donating via:
Venmo @Cellists-for-Change
or mail a check to:
Cellists for Change
PO Box 122
Ward, CO 80481
Be the first to know what CFC is up to by following us on FaceBook (CellistsforChange) and Instagram (@cellistsforchange)!
Coming Soon!
www.cellistsforchange.org
