EDMONDS—The Cascade Symphony Orchestra (CSO) has received grants from both the Hazel Miller Foundation and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation to support the orchestra’s efforts to bolster music education in the local schools and to reinforce the orchestra’s other community outreach efforts in 2025.
The Hazel Miller Foundation, founded in 2009 to support the greater Edmonds and South Snohomish community, awarded a $10,000 grant that will aid the orchestra’s Gold Medalist Program, annual Family concert, Rising Stars Competition, and support for the Edmonds summer music program. The Paul G. Allen Foundation awarded a $12,500 “Community Accelerator Grant.” The latter program is administered by the ArtsFund, whose stated mission is “to support the arts through leadership, advocacy, and grantmaking in order to build a healthy, equitable, and creative Washington.”
“We are very proud and appreciative of the support we are receiving for our special programs from the Hazel Miller Foundation and Paul G. Allen Family Foundation,” said Edward Benyas, Cascade Symphony’s executive director.
The Gold Medalist Program has been reestablished with the Edmonds School District after a five-year hiatus due to Covid. Under the program, the district’s string music teachers nominate exceptional high school string players to perform side-by-side with Cascade Symphony musicians at its annual Holiday Concert at the Edmonds Center for the Arts in December. Funding for this covers the cost of providing music, tickets for the students’ family members, and commemorative shirts and awards plaques.
The Rising Star Competition is sponsored by the Cascade Symphony to encourage talented pre-college student musicians to pursue music as a life-long endeavor, allowing the most talented to perform as soloists, with CSO accompaniment, at the annual Family Concert. Grant funds supported the CSO’s performance of Peter and the Wolf in February, enjoyed by hundreds of children and their families, as well as featuring the Rising Star Competition winner.
Grant funding helped the CSO provide scholarship support to students attending the Edmonds School District’s Summer Music School.
“Cascade Symphony serves as a cornerstone of music performance in our community, a valued partner that enhances music education programs in our schools, and a crucial financial supporter for students who would otherwise be unable to participate in music,” said Tam Osborne, manager of Visual and Performing Arts for the district.
The mission of the Cascade Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1962, is to bring excellent classical music to the community and to provide a place where fine musicians can come together to perform the great masterpieces of classical music as well as other well-known orchestra music. It is the oldest and most significant community orchestra in South Snohomish County. The CSO is the orchestra in residence at the Edmonds Center for the Arts.
Additional information about the Cascade Symphony Orchestra and its upcoming 2025-26 concert season, starting this October, is available online at www.cascadesymphony.org.
Source: Cascade Symphony Orchestra
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
