The Joplin Globe shines a spotlight on our new initiative ‘Overtures of Hope’ in an article by longtime journalist Marta Churchwell.
Click here to read the article in full.
From The Globe: “Like many, we realized COVID-19 was going to impact us longer than anticipated,” Gilman said. “We had a choice: continue postponing activities or innovate. We chose the latter. We’re excited to pioneer new ways to share music with our communities during this challenging time.”
Gilman initiated a concert program, Overtures of Hope, that is aimed at lifting-up health care workers and marginalized populations affected by the pandemic. Its inaugural concerts were held at Mercy Hospital and Lafayette House, a local women’s shelter.
We’re thrilled to share that we’ve successfully launched Overtures of Hope. The goal of this temporary initiative is to bring the power of live classical music to area health care facilities and other service organizations. Serving medical workers, patients, and residents, Overtures of Hope is produced through masked, safely-facilitated, socially-distanced means for artists and patrons.
Recently, we presented Kansas City’s Opus 76 Quartet to audiences at Mercy Hospital Joplin and Lafayette House, reaching over a hundred patrons. The ensemble played Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Opus 132, originally composed in 1825. Wondering what a string quartet is? This traditional chamber music configuration includes (as the name implies) four musicians, including two violinists, a violist, and a cellist.
Patrons enjoyed experiences, including the following reflections:
“It felt like I had been given my own precious gift” – Lafayette House resident and patron
“I didn’t even know what this music was called… it’s magical.” – Mercy Hospital staffer and patron
Please enjoy photos from the concerts below. Stay tuned over the coming months as Overtures of Hope continues.
An update from Pro Musica: with case numbers rising, we have made the decision to postpone in person events through at least March 1st, 2021. Stay tuned in early 2021 for updates on this season’s public activities (Overtures of Hope will continue).
From Boston to Austin, New York City to Los Angeles, we’re thrilled to share our 2020-21 Concert Series preview with you. Join us for our 41st year of bringing the finest in chamber music to the Joplin region. Beyond our public events below, these award-winning ensembles will engage in a range of our cornerstone education and outreach events impacting schools, universities, and public audiences.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all ensembles, dates, and times below are subject to change.
Overtures of Hope
Honoring our health care and service workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Overtures of Hope will bring free outreach performances to area institutions through safe, socially-distanced means.
Autumn & Winter
The Ying Quartet – Postponed
Pro Musica audience favorites and sibling sensations from New York State
Thursday, February 11th
Learn more about The Ying Quartet
Boston Brass – Postponed
Award-winning quintet with broad repertoire and unique audience engagement
Thursday, March 18th
Learn more about Boston Brass
Invoke Quartet – Stay tuned
Austin-based, Americana-infused Bowed and Fretted String classical quartet
Thursday, April 8th & Friday, April 9th (coffee shop set)
Learn more about Invoke Quartet
Schumann Quartet & pianist Jon Nakamatsu – Postponed
Lincoln Center chamber-ensemble-in-residence
Thursday, April 29th
Learn more about Schumann Quartet and pianist Jon Nakamatsu
Frisson Ensemble – Stay tuned
Nonet (nine-member) ensemble featuring strings, reeds, and woodwinds from New York City
Thursday, May 13th
Learn more about Frisson Ensemble
Brubeck Brothers Quartet – Stay tuned
Chris and Dan Brubeck, children of the legendary Dan Brubeck and deeply accomplished musicians in their own rights, will take centerstage during our annual ticketed fundraising event — featuring barbecue and jazz!
Learn more about the Brubeck Brothers Quartet
Thursday, June 17th
Charles McPherson: The Journey Home – Stay tuned
Joplin native, jazz sensation, join us for this extra-special event that is featured as part of the Missouri Bicentennial
Friday, July 23rd & Saturday, July 24th, produced with Connect2Culture, VisitJoplin, Missouri Southern State University and other area partners
We want to do our part to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus and protect the high-risk members of our community. Therefore, Pro Musica has made the difficult decision to cancel the March 26th concert featuring the Jupiter & Jasper String Quartets. The associated Arts Education Events are canceled as well. We will make every effort to reschedule the concert at a future date.
NOTE: At this time, there are no changes regarding the April 24th jazz concert featuring the Brubeck Brothers Quartet.
The understanding and faithful support of our audience is greatly appreciated!
Pro Musica has been approved for a $10,000 Challenge America grant to support the second half of Pro Musica’s 40th Season. This project includes concerts featuring the Horszowski (piano) Trio, the Jupiter & Jasper (string) Quartets, and the Brubeck Jazz Quartet. Overall, the National Endowment for the Arts has approved 1,187 grants totaling $27.3 million in the first round of fiscal year 2020 funding to support arts projects across the country. Pro Musica is one of 145 Challenge America grants included in this announcement.
The Challenge America funding category offers support primarily to small and mid-sized organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to populations that have limited access to the arts due to geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. Each grant is for a fixed amount of $10,000 and requires a minimum $10,000 cost share/match.
“The arts are at the heart of our communities, connecting people through shared experiences and artistic expression,” said Arts Endowment chairman Mary Anne Carter. “The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support projects like Pro Musica’s 40th Season – A Special Encore Performance Season.”
Deborah Billings, Pro Musica’s Executive Director, said “We are so honored to be chosen by the National Endowment for the Arts to receive this award. Awards like this allow us to continue our mission of ‘fostering interest in, appreciation for, and enjoyment of world-class live classical music in Joplin and the four-state area’.”
The Horszowski (piano) Trio will present a public performance on Thursday, February 20th, at Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School Auditorium. The concert starts at 7:00 PM and is open to the public at no charge. Additional information is available on this website and Pro Musica’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/pg/ProMusicaJoplin
For more information on projects included in the Arts Endowment grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.
Longevity is difficult to find in today’s world. In order to survive and thrive, a non-profit’s programs must be relevant and impact the community, while remaining adaptable and open to change.
Pro Musica’s 2019-20 Season is our 40th! Our longevity is attributed to:
- Presenting the highest quality music, in concerts that are open to the public at no charge.
- Providing a robust Arts Education Program benefits students in public and private schools, homeschool students, and adults with limited ability to attend a concert.
While our two foundational principles remain steadfast, Pro Musica seeks opportunities to innovate and try new ideas. Last season’s “Bach-A-Bye-Baby Concert” along with the informal “coffee shop concert” are great examples of programming concepts that reached new audiences.
The 2019-20 Season celebrates Pro Musica’s longevity with a special “Encore Performance Season” that brings some favorite ensembles from past seasons back to Joplin. A special highlight is a double string quartet concert. The season concludes with the Brubeck Brothers Quartet returning to present a program honoring Dave Brubeck’s Centennial – a perfect capstone for our 40th Season Celebration.
Our Arts Education Program for 2019-20 includes 11 Arts Education Events impacting approximately 2,000 students and adults including every 4th and 5th grade student in the Joplin R-8 school district.
The consistent support of people like you insures Pro Musica can continue to offer world-renowned musicians in concerts and educational settings. We appreciate gifts of all sizes and ask you to consider partnering with us. Click on About and then select Donate to support the arts!
I was blessed to be raised by a mother who believed adamantly in the arts.
My upbringing included lessons on how to attend a classical music concert, backstage visits to our local college’s theater department and weekend excursions to city museums to explore national traveling exhibits.
Granted, it was the 1970s and there weren’t as many options vying for my pre-teen attention, but I could sing the lyrics to “Try to Remember,” the beautiful and haunting song about nostalgia from the musical comedy “The Fantasticks” before I could sing any pop radio tune.
I don’t have a laser sharp memory about many aspects of my childhood — I was a daydreamer — but I can close my eyes and seemingly relive every curtain opening, every thrill of the sound of an orchestra warming up and every, “Oh wow,” uttered at the first glimpse of an incredible work of art.
Perhaps it’s that child-parent connection that makes me so proud to be involved as president of Pro Musica. Our mission is to foster interest in, appreciation for and enjoyment of world-class, live classical music in Joplin and the Four-State Area. At every concert, we’re thrilled to see parents and their children enjoying a performance together.
Pro Musica has been the leader in providing culturally rich, classical music programs for Joplin and the surrounding area. The Pro Musica Chamber Series presents chamber music ensembles of the highest professional quality, available to the public at no charge, thanks to underwriting by generous local businesses.
In addition to formal concerts, Pro Musica provides educational outreach and enrichment to local schools, as well as to the social service, civic and business communities. We’ll always view outreach as a vital part of who we are and how we extend the love and appreciation of classical music into the community. It’s integral to our identity.
Partnership opportunities within the community are always sought by Pro Musica. We have partnered with many local businesses, as well as Spiva Center for the Arts. We look forward to partnering with Connect2Culture and others to celebrate Missouri’s bicentennial with a special collaborative performance in 2021.
Our connection with Connect2Culture and the soon-to-be-realized Harry M. Cornell Arts & Entertainment Complex is one of those rare and energizing “both/and” connections. We’re excited to anticipate a location perfect for bringing performance that we like to refer to as “ageless music to all ages.”
In its first season, Pro Musica presented one concert, the St. Louis Brass Quintet. We’re about to enter a celebratory anniversary performance season in which we have five amazing, over-the-top performances scheduled and an incredible encore jazz concert to end the season. And the icing on top of the cake would be to see a love for the arts supported and celebrated within the Joplin metropolitan area.
The support deadline is fast approaching for the Cornell Complex. To date, 169 donors have committed almost $13.6 million. The Joplin arts community is so close to meeting the $14 million minimum amount that will unlock the city of Joplin’s contribution of the parking lot in front of Memorial Hall. How close? 97% close.
Please visit http://connect2culture.org/cornell-complex to make your pledge. You’ll be saying, “Yes, I believe in the arts.”
I believe the artistic community, in all its beautiful forms and flavors, is alive and well in Joplin.
– Lori Marble is president of Pro Musica.
– Published in The Joplin Globe on May 26, 2019
Now that our 2018-19 Season has concluded, our focus turns to the 2019-2o Season which launches in September. The upcoming season is our 40th! To celebrate this milestone, we are bringing some of the favorite ensembles from past seasons back to Joplin for a special “Encore Performance Season”. In other words, we will be presenting the “crème de la crème” of Pro Musica’s past. What a season to look forward to!
For this special celebratory season, our founding director identified three string quartets and one piano trio that stood out in her memory as being of exceptional quality as well as audience favorites. In addition, we agreed that presenting a concert with a double string quartet would add an extra season highlight. Shortly thereafter, we learned the Jupiter Quartet, who presented a world premier piece in Joplin in 2006, has a double-string quartet program with the Jasper Quartet.
Our “Encore Performance Season” is featuring more string quartets than past seasons reflecting the “favored status” that string quartets hold with our audiences. While it was difficult to choose, we believe the Miro Quartet, Brentano Quartet, and the Tesla Quartet (with clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein) accurately represent the high-quality classical music programming presented by Pro Musica since 1981.
The Horszowski Trio provided an outstanding and memorable performance in March 2014. One audience member described it as “thrilling”. When asked if they would like to return to Joplin, the trio’s response was a resounding “Yes!” Professional musicians in the world of chamber music love to come to Joplin because our audiences are enthusiastic and appreciative.
While the addition of a jazz concert to Pro Musica’s seasons is fairly recent, the stand-out performance came from the Brubeck Brothers Quartet. Their program for 219-20 honoring Dave Brubeck’s Centennial is a great fit and perfect capstone for our 40th Season Celebration.
Check out the Events section of this website and reserve those dates on your calendar. You won’t want to miss a single concert!
You are invited to attend a very special concert with Trio Virado on Friday, February 22, 2019 at The Coffee Shop @ Joplin Greenhouse, 2820 E 32nd Street in Joplin.
Doors will open at 7:00 PM with coffee and light food available for purchase. The Trio will perform at 7:30 PM and again at 8:30 PM. This is a relaxed come and go concert – the perfect time to meet your friend for coffee and enjoy some incredible music.
No tickets or reservations are required; donations at the door appreciated. See you there!
