Astral Artists connect with the world.
Understanding there are as many barriers as there are bridges to classical music, Community Partnerships at Astral foster creative ways to bring together musicians and communities, focusing on the intersection of artistic excellence and social engagement.
Citizen Artist Partnerships
Citizen Artist Partnerships provide a framework for artists and community partners to enact social change through musical experiences. Serving as an incubator for these new initiatives, Citizen Artist Partnerships at Astral support the growth of entrepreneurial skills for artists and provide scalable pilot projects which engage art as a pathway to social change.
Forrópera Experiência
Building on the sound of Forrópera, co-created by Chrystal E. Williams (mezzo-soprano) and Felipe Hostins (accordion), Forrópera Experiência combined Brazilian Forró music, Opera, dance, and storytelling. In partnership with Astral, Esperanza Arts Center and Esperanza Academy, this performance featured original stageworks created and performed by the Esperanza Academy Dance Ensemble, Esperanza Academy visual arts students, Ms. Williams, Mr. Hostins, Gabe Hall-Rodrigues (accordion), Davi Vieira (zabumba) and Tania Y. Ramos Otón (choreography). This unique production included a season-long residency with the artists and Esperanza Academy students, focused on artistic expression and the co-creative process.
Young At Art
In 2020, Astral Artists, Play On Philly and Mural Arts Philadelphia joined together to create five virtual “mini concerts” focused on the ways in which art and artists are interconnected. Averaging 20 minutes each, these events celebrate a journey of expression and creativity through classical music and murals, presenting small groups of chamber musicians of all ages and levels of experience paired with works from the Mural Arts collection. Each concert is centered around one of five instrument groups – brass, percussion, woodwinds, harp and strings.
Playing and Preserving
Part of a large-scale initiative by Partners for Sacred Places (PSP) to preserve Philadelphia historical pipe organs, Astral collaborated with PSP and Play On Philly (POP) to organize a series of family-friendly, community concerts at St. Mary’s Hamilton Village, The Episcopal Church at Penn. Prior to these concerts, Astral Artists mentored the POP students during four short residency visits, building musical skills and relationships between student musicians and world-class artists. Each concert was preceded by child-friendly Experience Stations, designed to welcome music lovers of all ages to learn more about the pipe organ.
Classroom Classics
Recognized by Yale University with their Distinguished Music Education Partnership Award, Classroom Classics works with 4th grade students in three Philadelphia public schools to create a personal connection to classical music. Building on strong relationships with Bayard Taylor, John Moffet and Chester A. Arthur schools, Astral artists bring the highest level of performance directly into the classroom, sparking curiosity about music and what it means to be a musician. The program furthers impact by exploring the intersection of music and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in both the creation and enjoyment of music.
Community Classics
Community Classics brings concerts by extraordinary classical musicians to individuals living in Continuous Care Retirement Communities, Medical Homes, and other residential communities. By reducing obstacles to the experience of live classical music, Astral artists can share this art form with people who have a longtime love or new interest in classical music and can explore exciting collaborations and repertoire through these individualized concert experiences.
Our partner care facilities include Inglis House, Quadrangle, Wesley Enhanced Living at Stapeley, Beaumont at Bryn Mawr, Cathedral Village, Pennswood Village, and Granite Farms Estates.