Boston, MA
Amount granted: $25,000
Grant year: 2022
Grant category: Music
$25,000 to jumpstart the new community engagement initiative “Musical Sanctuary”.
Through its performing, teaching, mentoring, and scholarly activities, Emmanuel Music occupies a unique niche: a living laboratory for the music of J. S. Bach. Emmanuel Music, founded in 1970, has served as the ensemble-in-residence for Boston’s Emmanuel Church for fifty years.
“Musical Sanctuary” will feature individual musicians rehearsing Bach in a casual, drop-in setting, with the doors always open so that it is clearly perceived as informal and available to all. Volunteers will invite passersby to sit and listen, and to come and go as they wish. Listeners are also welcomed to interact with the musician—or not. This is primarily about providing a safe place for reflection, connection, and respite—through the music of J. S. Bach.