Papitto Opportunity Connection Partnership

The RI Philharmonic Orchestra & Music School’s mission is to  enrich and transform Rhode Island and our region through great live symphonic performances and music education. To further this mission, we offer concerts and education programs that are of exceptional quality, relevant and accessible to all. We have worked for many years to use music as a tool to further equity and opportunity in our community.

Thanks to our ongoing partnership with the Papitto Opportunity Connection (POC), our efforts are taking a huge step forward. With major support from the POC, and continued support from existing funders, the RI Phil has increased our efforts to break down barriers, create opportunities, and make music education, symphonic performances and careers in music accessible. These efforts help us:

1. Improve access to music education for under-served children, and partner with Brown University to study the impact on their musical, academic, and social-emotional growth;
   
   
2. Represent the diverse communities we serve on our stages through the repertoire we perform and the guest artists who perform it, and in our classrooms through what we teach and who we hire to teach;
   
   
3. Join the National Alliance for Audition Support and modify audition practices for the Orchestra to keep the screen up through the finals to promote equitable hiring practices;
   
   
4. Increase accessibility to our performances through streaming, neighborhood concerts, Link Up education programs and concerts, and ensure access to affordable tickets.



Together with POC, we are employing best practices and establishing new modes to ensure that every child in our community has access to a music education, every child and adult can access inspiring symphonic performances, and every person feels represented on our stages and served by our school.