ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVES
Virtual series launched in the early phase of the pandemic continued and evolved. The second season of both Lunch Bachs ( expanded from exclusively violas to the entire orchestra and including an exciting collaboration demonstrating the composition process in its entirety with students from the Peabody Institute ) and the Virtual Governing Members Lounge reached members of the BSO family and the musically curious through Facebook Live and the newly improved BSO OffStage. We also added to our lineup, launching the Cultural Connections series on social media to celebrate and promote cultural inclusivity and cultural diversity. In total, ten BSO musicians commemorated holidays or shared their own personal traditions through musical excerpts, from celebrating the Lunar New Year and Black History Month to introducing the Portuguese origins of the Fandango or sharing a Korean lullaby.
We looked beyond social media to engage our most isolated friends and neighbors, including senior living communities and front-line workers, using music as a means of escape, reprieve, and connection – be it just a phone call away, thanks to the Daily Music Hotline; through content directly delivered to their inbox encouraging them to Take a Break ( a free weekly series of short performances distributed to members of the healthcare sector and other local workers ); on closed circuit television channels or in common rooms for those without easy access to internet; or, in popup concerts by members of the BSO at a vaccination site or area hospital.
In addition to reaching out to our community at large, we also worked to keep close to those in our family, including our donors. An entirely new lineup of virtual member events broke down our geographic barriers between the Meyerhoff and Strathmore to bring all donors together – with each other, as well as with BSO musicians, staff, and special guests.
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10 Episodes in Season 2
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10 BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA