The Lewis Prize: A $1.75m Investment in Music's Societal Impact

Miami-based philanthropist Daniel R. Lewis—former primary funder of the Cleveland Orchestra Miami residency, among numerous other acts of music-related noblesse oblige—has focused his sights on music education and career development with the just-launched Lewis Prize for Music. Yesterday, the first round of grants was announced, totaling $1.75 million and distributed among nine organizations in eight states.

“My vision is to ensure opportunities to learn, perform and create music are available to all young people,” said Lewis in a statement. “Ideally, this would be happening in every school, but that isn’t the case, especially in low-income and historically marginalized communities.”

Labeling the first award recipients “Change Makers,” the monies are divided among the multi-year $500,000 Accelerator Awards, the single-year $50,000 Infusion Awards, and the $25,000 Finalist Awards.

Accelerator Awards went to Sebastian Ruth [pictured] and Community MusicWorks (Providence, RI), an organization Ruth founded in 1997 that works in inner-city neighborhoods with a chamber music residency and free youth music programs; Brandon Steppe and The David’s Harp Foundation (San Diego, CA), which rewards good grades with free studio time for recording and producing and offers mentoring/job training to inner city and incarcerated youth; and Ian Mouser and My Voice Music (Portland, OR), which brings songwriting, recording, and performance to lockdown facilities, such as mental health treatment and detention centers, to help young people heal.

Infusion Awards went to Clare Hoffman and Grand Canyon Music Festival’s Native American Composer Apprentice Project (Grand Canyon, AZ), which enables Native youth to share their stories through music; Michael Reyes, Liz Stone and We Are Culture Creators (Detroit, MI), which trains and facilitates employment for 18-24-year-olds, bringing high-quality music and entrepreneurship education for young musicians of color in Detroit; Eugene Rodriguez and Los Cenzontles Cultural Arts Academy (San Pablo, CA), which since its founding in 1989 has produced 30 albums of traditional Mexican and cross-cultural music, documentaries broadcast on PBS, and hundreds of video shorts. Derrick Tabb and The Roots of Music (New Orleans, LA), an after-school marching band program that provides music history, theory, and instrumental instruction and performance experiences to over 150 young people, ages 9-14. It also offers students hot meals and round-trip transportation, as well as mentorship and academic tutoring resources.  

Finalists include Joseph Conyers [pictured], a Musical America Professional of the Year whose Philadelphia-based Project 440 uses a shared love of music from any genre and the skills inherent in being a musician as the jumping-off points to build character, community, and competence; Kasandra VerBrugghen and Spy Hop Productions (Salt Lake City, UT), which mentors youth ages 10 through 20 to help them tell their stories to affect positive change.

Lewis is a Progressive Insurance heir whose largesse to music and social causes has included chairing the Spring for Music Program at Carnegie Hall and of the Florida Philharmonic, as well as serving on the boards of the Cleveland Orchestra and the League of American Orchestras. The Lewis Prize’s CEO is Dalouge Smith, founder of the San Diego Youth Symphony’s Community Opus Project, said to be one of the U.S. Sistema’s most successful programs.

Photos: Sebastian Ruth (top); Joseph Conyers