EXPLORING THE METROPOLIS INC

ETM CON EDISON COMPOSER RESIDENCIES - A RESIDENCY PROGRAM DESIGNED TO ACCOMODATE COMPOSERS FROM NEW YORK CITY, WHO ARE CAREFULLY SELECTED BY A PANEL OF MUSIC PROFESSIONALS THROUGH AN ANNUAL APPLICATION PROCESS. THE PROGRAM PROVIDES EACH COMPOSER WITH A STIPEND AND FREE SUITABLE WORKSPACE IN A CULTURAL OR COMMUNITY FACILITY FOR COMPOSITION WORK. AS PART OF ETM'S GOAL TO BROADEN PUBLIC ACCESS TO THE PERFORMING ARTS, AT THE END OF EACH PROGRAM, EACH COMPOSER IS REQUIRED TO PRESENT, IN COOPERATION WITH THE HOST FACILITY, AN EVENT THAT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. SELECTED COMPOSERS ARE AWARDED SIX MONTHS OF FREE WORKSPACE IN ONE OF FIVE COMMUNITY/CULTURAL FACILITIES. THEY ARE ALSO AWARDED A STIPEND OF $2,500. THE ETM CON EDISON COMPOSER RESIDENCIES HAS SUPPORTED MORE THAN 90 COMPOSERS, PROVIDING THEM WITH MORE THAN $750,000 WORTH OF NO-COST REHEARSAL SPACE AND CASH SUPPORT. IN ADDITION, ETM HAS PROVIDED MORE THAN $150,000 WORTH OF SUPPORT TO NYC'S NONPROFIT CULTURAL AND COMMUNITY CENTERS TO MAXIMIZE THEIR SPACE USAGE, AND SUPPORTED MORE THAN 70 FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS FOR NEW YORK CITY AUDIENCES. PREVIOUS ETM COMPOSERS-IN-RESIDENCE HAVE GONE ON TO WIN AWARDS, RECOGNITION AND COMMISSIONS FROM THE PULITZERS, THE JEROME FOUNDATION, THE KLEBAN FOUNDATION, THE GUGGENHEIM FOUNDATION, THE KRONOS QUARTET, AMERICAN COMPOSERS ORCHESTRA, NEW MUSIC USA, ASCAP PLUS, THE PROTOTYPE FESTIVAL AND AMERICAN LYRIC THEATER. HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS YEAR'S PROGRAMS INCLUDED COMPOSER-IN-RESIDENCE ALEX WEISER'S NEW OPERA BASED ON THE FATHER OF MODERN ZIONISM, THEODOR HERZL. THIS WAS PRESENTED AT TURTLE BAY MUSIC SCHOOL, FOLLOWED BY A PANEL WITH REPRESENTATIVES FROM AMERICAN OPERA PROJECTS, YIVO INSTITUTE FOR JEWISH RESEARCH AND 14TH STREET Y. THIS WAS OUR HIGHEST ATTENDED PROGRAM EVER. WEISER WAS LATER SHORTLISTED FOR A PULITZER PRIZE IN COMPOSITION.

ETM CHOREOGRAPHER + COMPOSER RESIDENCIES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE JAMAICA CENTER FOR ARTS & LEARNING - ETM INITIATED THE QUEENS WORKSPACE INITIATIVE IN 2013. THE MAJOR ACTIVITIES OF THIS PROJECT INVOLVED SURVEYING PERFORMING ARTISTS, CULTURAL FACILITIES AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS; MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS TO STAKEHOLDERS AND POLICYMAKERS AND CONDUCTING PILOT PROGRAMS. BASED ON THESE FINDINGS AND WITH FUNDING FROM MERTZ GILMORE FOUNDATION AND THE GREATER JAMAICA DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, IN 2015 WE LAUNCHED THE CHOREOGRAPHER + COMPOSER RESIDENCIES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE JAMAICA CENTER FOR ARTS & LEARNING (JCAL). THIS PROGRAM MATCHES FOUR ARTIST TEAMS (EIGHT INDIVIDUALS TOTAL) WITH SPACE AT THE JAMAICA CENTER FOR ARTS & LEARNING IN JAMAICA, QUEENS. EACH TEAM RECEIVES THREE MONTHS OF FREE REHEARSAL SPACE PLUS A STIPEND, AND PERFORMS ONE PUBLIC PROGRAM IN COOPERATION WITH JCAL. DUE TO COVID-19, THE SPRING 2020 PUBLIC PROGRAMS FOR THIS RESIDENCY WERE CANCELLED. TWO PROGRAMS TOOK PLACE AS SCHEDULED IN DECEMBER 2019.