Cellists for Change is a nonprofit organization that empowers youth through music by nurturing self-expression, cultivating belonging, and developing individual and collective agency.
We are committed to actualizing the truths that representation matters and equity in access is transformational. Cellists for Change works to achieve our mission through three primary programs:
Youth Scholarship Program
Cellists for Change aspires to ensure that youth of all identities have access to learning, creating and performing experiences. Our 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, concert attendance opportunities, music books and supplies.
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: At this time, the CFC Youth Scholarship Program is focused on racial/ethnic global majority youth and LGBTQIA+ youth.
How to Apply: please email cellistsforchange@gmail.com for a Youth Scholarship application.
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Expanding and Celebrating Cello Repertoire
Cellists for Change is committed to performing works from the rich canon of repertoire written by composers historically excluded in the classical sphere, as well as commissioning new works that amplify the voices of living BIPOC, women, and LGBTQIA+ artists. We have had the privilege of working closely with composers Kari Clifton, Sergio Marroquin, Lee Knight, Kari Kraakevik and poet André O. Hoilette to premiere six new works over the past three years.
Commissioned Cello Solo and Ensemble Works:
Please click here to learn about our recent concert highlighting Seasons of Blight by Lee Knight and Andre Hoilette. Please click here to learn about our recent concert for Carlitos in collaboration with Chase the Music!
International Partnership with Escuela de Cuerdas (Huehuetenango, Guatemala)
Cellists for Change is honored to have partnered with Escuela de Cuerdas, a school of music in Huehuetenango, Guatemala. The collaborations stemming from this partnership work to achieve the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Our achievements through this partnership to date include:
Additional CFC projects to date include:
If you have or know of a child who would be empowered by the mission and vision of Cellists for Change, please reach out to 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
We are committed to actualizing the truths that representation matters and equity in access is transformational. Cellists for Change works to achieve our mission through three primary programs:
- Youth Scholarship Program: providing comprehensive music instruction to youth who identify with historically underrepresented or excluded groups in classical music
- Expanding and Celebrating Cello Repertoire: commissioning and performing repertoire that amplifies the voices of BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and women artists
- International Partnership with Escuela de Cuerdas: collaborating with and providing support to Escuela de Cuerdas, a school of music in Huehuetenango, Guatemala
Youth Scholarship Program
Cellists for Change aspires to ensure that youth of all identities have access to learning, creating and performing experiences. Our 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, concert attendance opportunities, music books and supplies.
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: At this time, the CFC Youth Scholarship Program is focused on racial/ethnic global majority youth and LGBTQIA+ youth.
How to Apply: please email cellistsforchange@gmail.com for a Youth Scholarship application.
.
Expanding and Celebrating Cello Repertoire
Cellists for Change is committed to performing works from the rich canon of repertoire written by composers historically excluded in the classical sphere, as well as commissioning new works that amplify the voices of living BIPOC, women, and LGBTQIA+ artists. We have had the privilege of working closely with composers Kari Clifton, Sergio Marroquin, Lee Knight, Kari Kraakevik and poet André O. Hoilette to premiere six new works over the past three years.
Commissioned Cello Solo and Ensemble Works:
- 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)
Please click here to learn about our recent concert highlighting Seasons of Blight by Lee Knight and Andre Hoilette. Please click here to learn about our recent concert for Carlitos in collaboration with Chase the Music!
International Partnership with Escuela de Cuerdas (Huehuetenango, Guatemala)
Cellists for Change is honored to have partnered with Escuela de Cuerdas, a school of music in Huehuetenango, Guatemala. The collaborations stemming from this partnership work to achieve the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Our achievements through this partnership to date include:
- 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
- Collaborative Concerts with Escuela de Cuerdas students and teachers
- Collaborative Concert with the all women marimba band El Grupo Femenino de Marimba
- Full Scholarships provided for ten youth living in an orphanage in Huehuetenango to study music with Escuela de Cuerdas (December 2021 - ongoing)
- Zoom Workshops and ongoing Correspondence Program between music students in Colorado and music students in Guatemala, allowing for valuable musical and cultural exchange
Additional CFC projects to date include:
- Improvisation workshop with cellists Jae Wes and Kari Clifton
- Play For The Vote (Mike Block initiative to encourage election participation) community engagement performance, covered by ABC Denver News
- Zoom Concert Series for Open Heartland Learning Nest, a nonprofit serving vulnerable Latinx immigrants in Iowa City, IA
- Performance at Pride on the Plaza 2022, featuring works by LGBTQIA+ composers
- Additional Community Concerts at The Arts HUB, Precision Pours, The Lafayette Stroll, Lafayette's Pride Celebration, Center for Musical Arts, Pearl St. Mall, North Boulder Sunset Market, and the Boulder Rotary Club
If you have or know of a child who would be empowered by the mission and vision of Cellists for Change, please reach out to 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
