New Rochelle Arts Organizations Receive Grants

Two New Rochelle arts organizations were each given a grant of $1,000 to help support their programs.

The Big Apple Playback Theatre and Songcatchers were two of 35 county organizations to receive more than $41,000 in Arts Alive Grants.

The awards were given at a breakfast Feb. 15, with members of the state legislature joining ArtsWestchester's Board of Trustees at the ceremony. ArtsWestchester’s Arts Alive grants are made possible with support from the Decentralization Program of New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA).

ArtsWestchester CEO Janet Langsam explains the grants truly help foster a sense of community.

"These programs make the arts easily accessible to hundreds of people, by bringing neighbors together for a common experience," she said.

• Big Apple Playback Theatre, New Rochelle – Seeing Ourselves Through the Eyes of the Other: Police and Youth in Our Communities
  A one-time event in the series “Ending Violence, Building Hope” took place Feb. 2 at the Martin Luther King Institute’s 14th Annual Conference. Participating community members and law enforcement professionals explored their experiences and share perceptions of one another, shared through theatrical interpretations presented by Big Apple Playback Theatre.  

• Songcatchers, New Rochelle – Composers of the Future
  Songcatchers’ programming nurtures the creativity of children aged 8-14 from low-income families, guiding them through the process of composition and orchestration. With professional musicians as mentors, students participate in six weeks of workshops leading up to a final public performance.