ACMP – Associated Chamber Music Players is a proud receipient of a grant  from the New York City Department of Culural Affairs in support of the ACMP Livestream Masterclass in February 2019. The Livestream Masterclass provides an online education experience for chamber music players to engage in wherever they are. The grant of $6,900 is the first ACMP has received from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, the largest government funding agency in the U.S.

ACMP is one of more than 977 groups supported from a budget of $43,9 million for cultural projects in the five boroughs of NYC. The economic, educational, and cultural importance of New York City’s museums, theaters, and other cultural institutions cannot be overstated, said Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen. When the arts thrive, New York City thrives – which is why this year we’ve made the largest-ever financial commitment to Cultural Affairs in our NYC history.

Investing in culture brings tremendous benefits to our city at all levels, from a vibrant economy, to healthy neighborhoods, to transformative experiences for individuals, said Cultural Affairs Commissioner Tom Finkelpearl. That’s why this year’s record-setting cultural budget, made possible thanks to collaboration between Mayor de Blasio and the City Council, is so exciting. Read DCLA announcement here.

The annual aCMP Livestream Masterclass places a professional ensemble with two learning quartets for a widely accessible online educational experience. In 2019, ensembles included Catalyst Quartet, and students from the Chamber Music Center of New York and Face the Music at the Kaufman Music Center. The Chamber Music Center quartet played the Debussy, String Quartet in G Minor, Op.10, first movement. The ensemble from Face the Music performed Nepomuk’s Dances I – Arrival, a highly rhythmic piece by Brazilian-American composer Marcelo Zarvos. The masterclass ended with a performance by Catalyst Quartet, featuring selections from Villa-Lobos, String Quartet No. 1 and Catalyst Quartet’s arrangement of Piazzolla, Angel Suite. Almost 3,000 chamber music players participated online and 80 posted comments and questions on a live chat feed.