Home » Central Kentucky Youth Orchestras get $10,000 match grant

Central Kentucky Youth Orchestras get $10,000 match grant

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 14, 2014) — LexArts, together with Central Kentucky Youth Orchestras (CKYO), announced today that a $10,000 Challenge Grant has been awarded to support CKYO’s North Limestone MusicWorks program. The donation was made anonymously and will match donations to CKYO 1:1 up to $10,000. LexArts will administer the challenge and 100 percent of the proceeds will be designated to the MusicWorks program.

ckyo_logoThe Central Kentucky Youth Orchestras’ North Limestone MusicWorks is a daily orchestral music program fostering positive development of Lexington’s youth by providing equitable access to high-quality music education. The program offers intensive daily study on string instruments and musicianship training for up to 30 second- and third-graders from Arlington Elementary School and operates at no cost to participants. MusicWorks is inspired by the musical and social philosophy of El Sistema, Venezuela’s national system of youth orchestras and choirs. El Sistema’s success in helping children build better futures has led to the creation of similar programs in the United States and around the world.

“NoLi MusicWorks is the first El Sistema-inspired program in Kentucky and we are proud to join a network of El Sistema-inspired program across the United States and the world,” said Daniel Chetel, music director and conductor of CKYO. “We hope that the teamwork, dedication and focus our students learn on a daily basis at MusicWorks become just as much a part of their lives as their proficiency on the cello or awareness of Beethoven.”

“We are grateful to the anonymous donor who stepped forward to support CKYO and MusicWorks,” said Jim Clark, president and CEO of LexArts. “This will allow CKYO to bring more music into the lives of more families – families that otherwise would not benefit from CKYO’s programming.  Our goal is to make the arts accessible to all people without barriers, and this program is helping to make that happen.”

Donations to Central Kentucky Youth Orchestras’ MusicWorks may be made by visiting LexArts.org or by clicking here.