We are grateful to the California Arts Council, WESTAF (Western States Arts Federation), and the National Endowment for the Arts for providing funding for our Fall 2020 programs featuring Invoke and DDAT. These programs engaged hundreds of audience members and students of all ages in conversations with artists about their creative processes, personal stories, and the questions the artists are asking about our world.

The funding made it possible for the string quartet Invoke to present an online performance that incorporated a conversation with the artists as well as presentations of recently recorded pieces. The quartet also participated in two outreach activities. The first was a Zoom-based conversation with Sonoma State students from two music courses. The second activity was a partnership with the Santa Rosa City Schools’ Music Blitz program, an instrumental program that reaches 900 students in 4th-6th grade. The Invoke quartet prepared a personalized 30-minute video that featured interviews and music excerpts, which all the Music Blitz teachers were able to access on demand with their students. 

The funding also supported engagement with the band DDAT, whose online presentation also featured recently recorded performances and a conversation with the artists. The band also joined two online Sonoma State courses in music and research, and they engaged around 400 elementary school students from Loma Vista Immersion Academy in Petaluma in an online Q&A. 

We look forward to continuing our partnership with California Arts Council, WESTAF (Western States Arts Federation), and the National Endowment for the Arts to bring more educational and engaging programs to our audiences and students.