Patricio Acevedo , member of SONQO , plays guitar for a Music in Your Neighborhood performance at the Church of the Redeemer . Yonnie Simmon Photography produced 140 performances in 18 neighborhoods , providing affordable , accessible opportunities to engage with live music while compensating over 150 musicians . How did they do this ? By focusing on two pillars of their mission : matching music with neighborhoods and attracting multiple communities to performances .
Conducting the Moments One staff addition proved essential to Artcinia ’ s engagement with a broad range of communities across an equally broad geography . Marquise Lindsey-Bradley , then completing his studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music , met Anne Schoemaker through a connection in the Philadelphia music world . On graduation he joined Artcinia as marketing director and brought a unique perspective : he had grown up in Philadelphia , knew people from all over the city , and was searching for a way to apply his background and his studies ( clarinet and business ) to his next endeavor . Lindsey- Bradley also brought the vibrancy of youth to Artcinia and understood how to engage audiences throughout the city . He quickly ascertained that to match music with communities and marketing strategies with neighborhoods , genuine relationships and an on-the-ground approach would be essential .
All too often , performing arts are not part of the neighborhood fabric where Artcinia aims to have a presence , and traditional marketing techniques are not always effective . Lindsey-Bradley knew that Artcinia ’ s marketing must break down assumptions and barriers to reach audiences used to being ignored by the classical music community . “ Access to technology in under-resourced neighborhoods is challenging ,” he says . “ Word of mouth is most effective at reaching people . We want our attendance numbers to be high , but we also want our audience to be reflective of the neighborhood .” People may see fliers about a performance but , because the cost is low , assume that the performance quality will be poor . Alternatively , others may not feel welcome in a sacred place where they are not a member . By working with local communities and listening to them , Lindsey-Bradley hoped to change these beliefs , one performance at a time .
Artcinia is netting the results of Lindsey-Bradley ’ s efforts . In just a short time , concert audiences are more reflective of the neighborhoods directly surrounding performance sites , and audience members are less likely to have a preexisting relationship with the performance sites . This opening of doors is what every conductor hopes for when they approach the podium — that the audience will feel reflected in the music they hear and that each audience member will walk away with a sense of belonging .
14 SACRED PLACES • SUMMER 2024