New York State Music Fund Awards Nearly $95,000 to Stony Brook University

STONY BROOK, N.Y. - It was announced on January 9th that Stony Brook University is the recipient of a $95,000 grant from The New York State Music Fund to support four events devoted to the creation of new works, and to encourage performances by student and faculty composers.

The four events supported by award to the Stony Brook Foundation will include: a new string quartet by Bright Sheng for the Emerson String Quartet; a celebration of new works commemorating the 20th annual Stony Brook Premieres Concert; a performance highlighting new works created by faculty composer and premiered by faculty performers; and the Find a Composer Series featuring works created and performed by Stony Brook students.

The New York State Music Fund is a grant program aimed to "increase access to and appreciation of music of our time by audiences throughout New York State ." The Fund was created when the New York State Attorney General's Office resolved investigations against major record companies that had violated state and federal laws prohibiting "pay for play," referring to when companies pay money for the broadcast of records on music radio (also known as "payola"). The settlement agreement designates funds paid by music businesses to support school and community-based educational programs, recording, and media dissemination projects that benefit New York State residents.

The services of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors were enlisted to develop and manage the grant program. The Advisory Panel of the New York State Music Fund is comprised of recognized leaders from a cross-section of the music world, who evaluated and recommended applications. The panel recommended 218 of 402 applications in a number of diverse forms of popular or experimental music including: indie rock, salsa, electronic, fusion and reggae, accounting for almost 37 percent of grants; a spectrum of jazz representing more than 15 percent; and nearly 25 percent of new classical music. Awards to the 218 grantees represent every region of New York State and range from $10,000 to $500,000. The recipients were chosen based on criteria focusing on artistic merit and community impact.