Arts grant helps Lumedia Musicworks thrive during pandemic

Lumedia's entire 2020-21 season online.

Thanks Patch Houston: Source

At a time when arts-focused organizations across Texas struggle to fulfill their missions during the pandemic, Lumedia Musicworks is leveraging a $3,500 resiliency grant from The Arts Community Alliance (TACA) to enhance its virtual performances.

The nonprofit performance organization committed to showcasing and performing early music – typically music before 1750 – plans to fund professional videography support and commission an up-and-coming composer and early music specialists to perform virtually in Spring 2021.

"TACA's grant and support make it possible for Lumedia to program inventively and provide a platform for early musicians of color both locally and around the world," said Julianna Emanski, Lumedia's artistic director.

Lumedia artists reside across the state, but many of them are from the Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth areas. They perform on historical reproductions of instruments from the baroque, renaissance and medieval periods, at historical pitch. Lumedia's core team is highly trained in historically informed performance practices.

Lumedia moved the entirety of its 2020-21 season online due to COVID-19 concerns. Frisco-resident Emanski said a good videographer is more important than ever this year.

The artists include Justin Bland of Copenhagen, Denmark; Yvonne Smith of Houston; Patrick Dailey of Nashville, Tenn.; and Anyango Yarbo-Davenport of Bogota, Columbia.

TACA Resiliency Grants are part of a focused effort by the alliance to support and strengthen Dallas arts and cultural organizations in response to the current landscape. Merit-based and unrestricted, the grants replaced several of TACA's traditional funding programs in 2020.

TACA has provided support for Lumedia since early 2018 – six months after the organization's launch.

For a full schedule of Lumedia's performances, visit www.lumediaworks.com/seasonLumedia.