Concert Music Outreach Collective performs monthly concerts in collaboration with The Shelter Association of Washtenaw County at the Delonis Center in Ann Arbor. At these events, we will not only perform for our audience, but we create a dialogue by eliciting their responses and answering questions about an art form that they may not have had the opportunity to experience. Through these events, CMOC seeks to expand access to classical music, and to make it more accessible and understandable by accompanying the performances with description and discussion. A unique aspect of our initiative is to amplify the voices of homeless people themselves, as they are invited to share their own personal responses to the music and how it resonates with them. As performers, we have the special opportunity to be a part of a composer’s story and share that story through our own perspectives. We want the audience to have this same experience of being an active part of the story and to have their unique voice heard. Towards this end, those who wish to participate will be asked to notate their reactions to the performance through words, drawings, or any accessible written form. These responses will be preserved in a bound booklet that we plan to showcase throughout future concerts. This book is a way to uplift the voices of our audiences and share them with the wider community.

We are incredibly grateful to announce that Concert Music Outreach Collective has been awarded a grant  from the State of Michigan Arts and Culture Council (MACC) @creativewashtenaw. 

This funding allows us to continue our monthly concert series with @annarborshelter. We have made amazing connections with the residents at the Delonis Center and are very much looking forward to continuing to foster great music and connections with the community at the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County.

A complete list of grant awards around the state is available the MACC website at www.michigan.gov/arts.