#GLFCAMGigThruCOVID
In the early part of 2020, the coronavirus (COVID-19) reached our shores in the United States and brought with it an abrupt cessation of our daily activities. Here at the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music, composers who come through our programs know that they are voiceless without their beloved performer colleagues. Watching our performing spaces go dark because of COVID-19 was a frightening reminder of how fragile our music eco-system is. We were fearful that our colleagues would face real financial ruin, many who had already been living month to month, week to week.
We wanted to do our part. To that end, GLFCAM contributed a starting pledge of $15,000 to a GoFundMe campaign, and 65 GLFCAM composers donated their time to create solo works of 2-10 minutes each. These new pieces of music were given to performers who had lost employment because of COVID-19 and were in financial straits. Each performer was invited to meet with their paired composer through video conferencing to collaborate remotely in developing the new work for its eventual premiere online for a physically-distanced audience.
From May to October, 2020, a regular series of online premieres was released that documented #GLFCAMGigThruCOVID through photos and videos so that people could enjoy new music while avoiding public concert spaces. We hope to revisit these works long after this emergency passes with an appreciation for the resilience and creativity that artists can exhibit.
In the press: SF Chronicle – Composer marshals a commissioning project for beleaguered performers
