Chamber Music Northwest sends relief to musicians by paying 50% advance

CHAMBER MUSIC NORTHWEST SENDS RELIEF TO MUSICIANS BY PAYING 50% ADVANCE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:        Amy Mintonye, Marketing Director

               503-546-0187, mintonye@cmnw.org

(Portland, OR) April 6, 2020 – Though Chamber Music Northwest (CMNW) is still planning to present its 50^th Annual Summer Festival, most of their musicians are coping with sudden lost income due to other cancellations. To provide relief for their artists in this time of crisis, the Chamber Music Northwest board has just approved emergency measures to send all 88 of its Summer Festival musicians a 50% advance now to help them with their current financial needs.

The economic situation of musicians, and other workers in the “gig economy,” is uncertain. Freelance musicians are not eligible for unemployment, and access to grants is extremely competitive. Many musicians pay for their health insurance out of pocket. “It’s a challenging time for all performers right now – everything has come to a standstill. I’ve never seen anything like it” remarks CMNW Artistic Director and industry veteran David Shifrin. “Musicians still need to pay for their health care, food, and rent. With their income in the near future decimated, Chamber Music Northwest decided to take the unprecedented action of paying artists a 50% advance now, while they are in crisis. This advance is theirs to keep regardless of what occurs this summer.”

Virtually all arts organizations have cancelled the entire remainder of the seasons through June, but Chamber Music Northwest is holding out hope because of its unique position compared to many arts organizations. “Our Summer Festival is nearly 3 months from now, and chamber music is perhaps the most flexible, adaptable, and nimble of all of the performing arts,” explains CMNW Executive Director Peter Bilotta. “We’re exploring all options for sharing live music in some form in the event the festival cannot take place as planned. In the coming weeks we should all have a better picture of what is possible come June and July, and our planning will place the health and safety of our musicians, staff, and audience first.”

2020 is not only Chamber Music Northwest’s 50th anniversary – it is also Artistic Director David Shifrin’s 40th anniversary and final season. The festival’s five weeks of concerts and events will feature the Emerson, Miró, Dover, and Orion string quartets, Edgar Meyer, Ida and Ani Kavafian, Peter Wiley, Tara Helen O’Connor, Paul Neubauer, Andy Akiho, Anna Polonsky, Bella Hristova, and many more of chamber music’s greatest performers and exciting young Protégé artists culminating in an all-star 50^th Anniversary Concert & Gala on July 18. Tickets and Subscriptions are on sale now, concert dates and details here: https://cmnw.org/concerts-tickets/summer-festival

Those interested in supporting Chamber Music Northwest’s work, musicians, and staff can help by making a tax-deductible gift and/or by reserving Summer Festival tickets today at www.CMNW.org.

ABOUT CHAMBER MUSIC NORTHWEST

Now in its 50^th season, Chamber Music Northwest shares the richness and diversity of chamber music with more than 50,000 people through 80 events annually, including our Summer Festival of outstanding concerts, illuminating outreach activities, educational programs supporting young musicians, and innovative collaborations across the Portland Metro region.

As one of the nation’s leading chamber music presenters, Chamber Music Northwest brings to our community the world’s greatest musicians and composers, from rising-star members of our Protégé Project and exceptional local musicians to world-renowned artists that include Grammy Award winners, Avery Fisher Prize honorees, and MacArthur “Genius Award” recipients. Together they collaborate to perform the expansive 500-year chamber music repertoire, ranging from beloved classics and hidden masterpieces to contemporary works and less conventional projects.

Chamber Music Northwest is an international leader in celebrating chamber music’s enduring relevance and diversity, with more than 100 commissions and premieres of new works as well as its Protégé Project, which cultivates the next generation of dynamic chamber music performers by supporting exceptional, early-career chamber musicians and composers in their professional development.

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