Audience members at a Music in Your Neighborhood performance featuring the Pyxis Piano Trio . Yonnie Simon Photography
ESSENTIAL GRACES : Artcinia Brings Music to Philadelphia ’ s Neighborhoods
By Ann Kendall
A new arts organization impacts Philadelphians by producing top-quality concerts in local sacred spaces .
In 2021 silence and loneliness had taken hold of neighborhoods and homes across Philadelphia and the world . With much of our normal activity and interaction suspended due to the global COVID-19 pandemic , the “ grace notes ” of life that hold relationships together were just out of reach . From this time of loss , Artcinia was born .
Collaborative Composition “ If I were to make a word cloud for Artcinia , collaboration would be the largest word , right in the center ,” says Anne Schoemaker , the organization ’ s cofounder . In the early pandemic days , the absence of performing arts was felt intensely across Philadelphia by musicians and concertgoers . But even before the pandemic , high-quality music experiences had never felt accessible to major swaths of the Philadelphia region ’ s populace . As a classically trained pianist , Schoemaker understood the ability of performing arts to build communities by bringing musicians and attendees together . This led Schoemaker into conversations with a chamber music colleague , Luigi Mazzocchi ( Artcinia cofounder and co – artistic director ), about how they might bring musicians and neighborhoods together for concerts that would provide joy and respite while keeping everyone safe . Serendipity and mutual colleagues led Schoemaker and Mazzocchi to Bob Jaeger and Partners for Sacred Places .
“ Anne and Luigi identified the need to bring folks together in their own neighborhoods for art and shared experiences ,” said Jaeger , president of Partners for Sacred Places . “ Sacred places were the perfect venue for that , and we were happy to facilitate those congregational partnerships .”
In the first four months of the resulting collaboration , Artcinia , with Partners ’ support , brought 35 outdoor concerts to life in Philadelphia neighborhoods . Schoemaker ’ s first concern in planning these performances was pinpointing under-resourced neighborhoods of Philadelphia , which are often overlooked when it comes to arts experiences . “ One of our primary goals is providing opportunities for diverse communities to convene , and in doing so , we reach increasingly diverse audiences ,” she says .
At first , concerts often featured Mazzocchi alone playing violin for audiences under a tent — lilting notes drifting into neighborhoods . Today , three years later , the organization has
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