New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Matthew Way, Executive Director, Doublestop Foundation; Elektra Stewart, HSA
Strings Faculty; Arturo Caswell, HSA Student; Inayah Shabazz, HSA Student; Michelle Kim, President, Doublestop Foundation;
The Harlem School of the Arts (HSA) is delighted to announce and accept the generous donation of 8 stringed instruments (2 string quartets = 4 violins, 2 violas, and 2 cellos), bows, cases, and strings from Doublestop Foundation's Regrant Project, a donation made possible with the assistance of Main Violin Shop in Fort Lee, New Jersey and D'Addario Strings. This important gift and new partnership will strengthen the school's String Program as well as enhance the quality of training for these young promising string musicians. Doublestop Foundation and their affiliates arrived Saturday, January 24th at 11:30 am with the equipment, just in time for HSA's Winter
Music Festival Concert.
HSA accepted the instrument donation from Doublestop Foundation at the start of the Winter
Music Festival where faculty, staff, students and their families were in attendance. These excellent student instruments will be used by teachers, select students, and in classes such as Jazz
Strings and Children's Con Brio Orchestra, two new classes offered this spring. HSA is truly grateful for Doublestop Foundation's vision and the generosity of Main Violin Shop and D'Addario Strings. Without these pivotal organizations our deserving students could not otherwise have access to this excellent equipment.
"The moment I discovered how many string instruments were destroyed at the school I just knew we made the right choice. HSA is more than art; it's a community, a center full of culture and love. Doublestop Foundation is thrilled about this donation and looking forward to developing this partnership with HSA into something very special for the school and for Harlem." - Matthew Way, Executive Director, Doublestop Foundation
"Many young aspiring musicians at HSA will be so excited to have access to these great instruments at the school. Especially the cello students, who sometimes cannot carry the cello, will now not have to miss their lesson. And, so great to have 2 new violas! The entire String Department at HSA thanks Doublestop Foundation for their passionate commitment towards arts education and their generosity." -
Maria Ahn,
Strings Chair, Harlem School of the Arts
About Doublestop Foundation:
Doublestop Foundation provides stringed instruments for deserving musicians who cannot afford to make such an investment on their own accord. Launched in 2012, the 'Artist In You Program' is comprised of two initiatives that provide stringed instruments for musicians, the Instrument Loan Competition and the Regrant Project. Each year the Loan Competition discovers the most talented string players who battle their way to becoming Doublestop's next Ambassador and the recipient of a fine stringed instrument loan for three years. Reaching the broader community, the Regrant Project identifies underserved public schools and community centers with either new or established music programs that could greatly benefit from a Doublestop stringed instrument donation. Founded by Michelle Kim, assistant concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic, Doublestop Foundation became a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization in 2011 with headquarters in Fort Lee, NJ. For more information about our programs please visit https://www.doublestopfoundation.org.
About Harlem School of the Arts:
For nearly a half-century, the Harlem School of the Arts has transformed the lives of tens of thousands of young people through world-class training in the arts. HSA's mission empowers young people mainly from under-served communities in Harlem to find and develop the artist and citizen within themselves. HSA's environment teaches discipline, stimulates creativity, builds self-confidence and adds a dimension of beauty to the lives of each student. HSA annually serves nearly 4,000 children through on-site instruction and its vital partnerships with NYC schools.
HSA stands apart among the premier arts institutions in New York City, as the sole provider of quality arts education in 4 distinct disciplines - music, dance, theatre, and visual arts. HSA boasts an impressive alumni base of Tony-award winning actors, celebrated operatic voices and jazz musicians, visual artists, dancers, and inspired citizens who cite HSA as the platform from which they launched careers in law, business and other professional fields. HSA believes that all children deserve access to a quality arts education, empowering them to become the creative thinkers and innovative leaders of tomorrow. For more information about Harlem School of the Arts, visit https://www.HSAnyc.org.
