Gaithersburg, Maryland ($9,500)

The Harriet Tubman History Project will be a four-part virtual film accompanied by a study guide. The project is a new work influenced by two successful in-person plays, written and directed by Amazing Theatre’s Artistic Director, Percy W. Thomas; Harriet Tubman: Defender and Harriet Tubman: Fight for Freedom.

North Bethesda, Maryland ($4,275)

Anatolian Artisans will present Turkish ceramicist Elif Uras, who will give a lecture at Sandy Spring Museum. Her talk will explore the historic references in her work, including prehistoric goddess figurines, Islamic ceramic traditions, and Western modernism. She will discuss how her work examines east and west, tradition and modernity, and reflects shifting notions of gender and class.

Potomac, Maryland ($7,920)

The Association of Russian-Speaking Theatre’s international online festival of literary creativity, CONSTELLATION, will feature contestants participating in competitive recitation of poems or prose.

Gaithersburg, Maryland ($4,750)

Best Medicine Rep will create and produce an original holiday musical in the style of British Pantomime. Panto is a type of performance wherein a traditional fairy tale is presented in an exaggerated manner, employing comedy, music, people dressed as animals, and two actors in drag. Audience involvement is actively encouraged, creating a communal experience.

Bethesda, Maryland ($9,000)

The Bethesda Blues & Jazz Youth Orchestra will perform two concerts at the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club in Bethesda, Maryland. Each concert will feature a nationally recognized jazz artist.

Olney, Maryland ($9,000)

Stephen Sondheim formed a close friendship with playwright Oscar Hammerstein II, who influenced him profoundly and developed his love of musical theater. Sondheim is also noted for mentoring Jonathan Larson and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Bethesda Little Theatre’s project will explore the evolution of musical theatre through these great composers.

Takoma Park, Maryland ($9,200)

Women Composers Festival (WoCo Fest) is at the core of Boulanger Initiative’s (BI) performance year. Building on the success of BI’s past three festivals, their 2023 festival will feature performances, panel discussions featuring composers and musicians. The project culminates with a one-day conference for industry leaders to discuss gender equity issues that pervade the music industry.

Potomac, Maryland ($9,200)

The program Canal For All allows the C&O Canal Trust to work in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS) to provide opportunities for education, stewardship, and volunteerism that are safe, welcoming, and inclusive for all. The project involves partnerships with community organizations to diminish barriers to participation, creating opportunities to play, learn, serve, and work in the C&O Canal National Historical Park (NHP).

North Potomac, Maryland ($9,408)

DC Beauty of Beijing Opera will perform a fully-costumed Beijing Opera and offer associated workshops to broaden the cultural horizon of local residents.

Gaithersburg, Maryland ($9,500)

The 11th annual Washington DC South Asian Film Festival (DCSAFF) will showcase independent cinema by South Asians located in the U.S., South Asia, and other geographic locations. DCSAFF will screen feature, documentary, and short films with South Asian content created by South Asian artists. The festival will also include post-screening and panel discussions with filmmakers, film production workshops, and other cultural programs.

Bethesda, Maryland ($8,800)

In remembrance of lives lost to COVID, Ebong Theatrix will host a two-day, in-person theatre and folk festival in May 2023. The festival will include performances by award-winning and internationally reputed theatre personalities and residents of Montgomery County.

Rockville, Maryland ($9,800)

The F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Conference celebrates Fitzgerald’s work by honoring an American writer at a literary festival. The annual festival includes speakers, workshops, films, and panels. The honoree provides the public with a master class in writing. Nominated Fitzgerald student scholars from Montgomery County Public Schools are also invited to a session with the honoree.

Rockville, Maryland ($4,750)

FocusMusic will present eight shows in Gaithersburg, Rockville, and Sandy Spring, live or virtual, depending on current health conditions associated with the pandemic. Live shows will be streamed for accessibility. Funds will also be used to update FocusMusic’s Strategic Plan.

Rockville, Maryland ($9,500)

Four Seasons Dancer’s Dances of the World is a globally inspired annual performance featuring original choreography inspired by a diversity of traditional cultures. The program presents a sample of dances from around the globe and features vivid couture costumes that enhance the visual experience.

Silver Spring, Maryland ($3,951)

Institute of Musical Traditions (IMT) will purchase recording equipment that will allow them to present concerts in multiple venues, expanding their outreach and increasing their audience.

Bethesda, Maryland ($9,500)

interPLAY hosts an artistic platform where people with disabilities are celebrated for their abilities. Funding will cover production costs as well as the costs associated with weekly hybrid rehearsals held throughout the year in preparation for two hybrid concert performances and/or video productions.

Kensington, Maryland ($9,500)

Buena Semana – Jewish Music Across the Americas is a concert featuring choral selections from North and South America. In collaboration with a Jewish choir from Mexico City, the program takes the audience across the Americas through song. The concert will feature composers working today as well as traditional melodies.

Silver Spring, Maryland ($9,200)

Funds will be used for the creation and production of a new musical work, The Window King.

Potomac, Maryland ($9,500)

This project will culminate in a stage production celebrating the 30th anniversary of Mayur Dance’s founding. The production will explore the themes of change and transition, incorporating traditional dance and contemporary contemplation on change (e.g., climate change).

Rockville, Maryland ($8,820)

Montgomery Philharmonic will present five concerts that include music composed by women, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Events benefiting youth, adults, and seniors will also occur.

Takoma Park, Maryland ($5,577)

Grant funds will be used to present a youth concerto competition and a free community concert in downtown Silver Spring. Three middle school and/or high school soloists will be selected to perform a movement of a concerto or a single-movement work accompanied by the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra (MSO). The MSO will also perform an additional orchestral work.

Rockville, Maryland ($4,655)

The NIH Community Orchestra (NIHCO), an all-volunteer ensemble in its 25th season, will issue a Call-for-Scores for five to ten-minute orchestral compositions with the theme, Reflection and Rejuvenation. The selected composer will receive an honorarium and a professional recording when NIHCO performs the piece in Montgomery County in spring 2023.

Bethesda, Maryland ($4,750)

NIH Philharmonia will present nine free concerts that present symphonic music to Montgomery County residents. Each concert will include music that is introduced to the audience with historical context to enrich the experience.

Silver Spring, Maryland ($4,275)

Orfeia Vocal Ensemble will lead up to four online and in-person intergenerational Balkan singing workshops. The workshops will be free of charge and will highlight musical themes that resonate with what many are feeling in the era of COVID-19; the need to reconnect with others through music, to feel communal belonging with a deeper awareness of our shared humanity.

Rockville, Maryland ($9,500)

The Printmaking Legacy Project will create a documentary about Percy Martin’s career and his collaborative friendship with Michael B. Platt, including accounts of their history and involvement with the development of the print department’s studios. Denied access to the city’s galleries, museums, and universities, these artists experienced the D.C. art scene pre-/post-segregation. As mentors and teachers, they established major print studios, exhibition venues and after-school arts programs for the African American community.

Silver Spring, Maryland ($7,600)

Rockville Brass Band will offer a two-part series in Montgomery County, with the goal of expanding their audience and engaging the next generation of brass band musicians. The first program will consist of a joint concert with a youth music organization based in Montgomery County in fall 2022. The second program will consist of a clinic and concert in the spring with Montgomery County student musicians.

Rockville, Maryland ($3,150)

Grant funds will be used to produce Stick Fly, a drama that shows the joys and struggles of family and the power of connection. The characters’ relaxing weekend takes a turn as family members clash during conversations about privilege, class and secrets unravel.

Damascus, Maryland ($4,750)

The Sherwood Community Chamber Choir (SCCC) is forming the Sherwood Community Youth Choir for 30-40 Olney-area middle school students. SCCC will give two concerts; the final will be with the Children’s Choir.

Silver Spring, Maryland ($9,500)

Six Degree Singers will offer live choral events in conjunction with virtual rehearsals. The goal is to maximize the potential for in-person services that can be shifted to virtual services at a moment’s notice.

Glen Echo, Maryland ($9,500)

Symphony of the Potomac will perform four orchestral concerts of classical music at the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center (MCCAC).

North Potomac, Maryland ($8,211)

Tagore Music Group’s drama tells the story of an intelligent young woman and how she overcomes adversity with her strength of character, power of observation, and the sheer force of her will.

Takoma Park, Maryland ($9,500)

The Takoma Park Folk Festival is an annual community event held in Montgomery County. The event hosts local musicians from a variety of genres, local craft activities and vendors, and games to bring the local community together.

Silver Spring, Maryland ($4,750)

The Civic Circle will create an interactive, online version of its arts-based curriculum for 3rd – 5th grade students. Student’s understanding of democracy will be enhanced through music, poetry, and storytelling. The grantee will build a multimedia web platform for eight lesson plans that currently take the form of unadorned text PDFs. The final product will seamlessly integrate teacher instructions, activities, handouts, slide decks, and educational song videos.

Gaithersburg, Maryland ($9,500)

Funds will be used to produce a concert for Musica Viva Kentlands, to grow the online and physical presence of the Gaithersburg Artist Collective, diversify the cast and enhance the theater experience offered by the Kentlands Community Players.

Gaithersburg, Maryland ($9,500)

Montgomery Playhouse’s The Laramie Project, a play about violence instigated by homophobia, explores the depths to which humanity can sink and the heights of compassion of which it is capable.

Germantown, Maryland ($9,500)

The National String Symphonia (NSS) will present a concert series, featuring cornerstone pieces and new programming. The concerts are also part of an initiative to create a string music library that can be accessed by musical organizations worldwide.

Germantown, Maryland ($9,000)

The Trinity Chamber Orchestra (TCO) will sponsor new musical compositions and participate in conducting competitions for musicians. To bolster its organizational capacity, TCO will add a staff assistant, create a strategic plan, provide professional development for staff, and upgrade its technology to provide online programming to improve recording and distribution.

Gaithersburg, Maryland ($5,880)

Unexpected Stage will present Fade, by Tanya Saracho, in person and streamed virtually. This comedic drama explores class and race within the Latinx community.

Silver Spring, Maryland ($9,800)

The annual International Soul Society Festival (ISSF) celebrates the full spectrum of Urban Arts and its many influences. Occurring in Wheaton, this year’s theme is The Collective Individual. Urban Artistry will highlight urban dance forms as traditional American culture and pay homage to those that have come before.

Gaithersburg, Maryland ($7,200)

Walking Shadow Readers Theatre will produce eight readings of new plays by both emerging and established playwrights, allowing playwrights to experience the greatest approximation of their work without the use of sets, props, or costumes. The readings of the plays will be streamed for a public audience and followed by a feedback session with Walking Shadow company members.

Rockville, Maryland ($1,136)

Washington Metropolitan Gamer Symphony Orchestra (WMGSO) will celebrate video game music with a concert in the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center in Silver Spring. WMGSO is dedicated to showcasing the emerging art form of video game music and highlighting the virtuosity of its composers. Concert programming includes music from video games old and new, popular and obscure. WMGSO will also stream the concerts online.

Wheaton, Maryland ($9,200)

The Wheaton Arts Parade (WAP) Gallery brings artwork to the community. Emerging and established local artists exhibiting at the gallery represent diverse cultural backgrounds, including Latinx, African American, and Asian. WAP’s project is designed to help stabilize management and infrastructure.

Bethesda, Maryland ($9,500)

Area youth aged fourteen to twenty-five will present a production of The Lightning Thief, Wildwood’s summer 2022 musical.

Bethesda, Maryland ($9,000)

The Sophia Project is a series of events exploring areas of wellness that intersect with Word Dance Theater (WDT)’s philosophy of dance. Each event will involve a presenter in a “non-dance” field, such as psychology, collaborating with a presenter from WDT.

Kensington, Maryland ($4,400)

Zemer Chai will produce a public virtual recording of a song for healing, chosen to memorialize the lives lost to COVID-19, promoting emotional healing.