The New York State Council on the Arts recently announced support for music festivals in upstate New York that are building communities, advancing revitalization and celebrating diverse voices. Of particular note is the support for Rochester's Gateways Music Festival.
The festivals highlighted reflect the vibrant arts scenes in the Capitol region, Buffalo and Rochester. The Albany Symphony Orchestra will perform works celebrating New York State’s pivotal role in women’s suffrage and other important civil rights milestones. The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra will recognize the diversity of the city’s East Side with performances in the 1929 Art Deco Central Terminal, and in Rochester the Gateways Music Festival will provide a hub for artists of African descent.
In August, the Gateways Music Festival will celebrate its 25th anniversary in Rochester. Rare in the classical music world for its focus on artists of African descent, the festival serves both as a magnet for building new audiences and as a platform for generating employment opportunities for an underrepresented community.
This year's festival will focus on music by Florence B. Price, the first African American woman to have her work performed by a major symphony orchestra. Check out the list of public events.
Gateways Music Festival received 2019 NYSCA REDC workforce development support to create a Program Manager position, enabling the festival to transition from biennial to annual.
