The Central Ohio Symphony announces it has been awarded a Grants for Arts Projects grant by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The grant will support its Expanding Horizons project scheduled for October 2024 when the orchestra opens its 46th season.

Expanding Horizons will bring the Dalí Quartet, an acclaimed strings group, to Delaware as Artists in Residence. The group will work directly with the Delaware City School’s orchestra program, grades 6 through 12, then join the orchestra in its Season debut concert on October 12. There will also be a Quartet performance at the Delaware County District Library’s Liberty Branch.

Symphony Executive Director Warren W. Hyer discussed the project. Students in the Delaware City Schools Strings program will have multiple interactions with the Quartet at orchestra rehearsals, as well as an all-district strings assembly with the Dalí Quartet and the Hayes Players, the high school’s prime ensemble.

“1/80 of Delaware’s population is enrolled in the school district’s strings program, which is a stunning statistic!” said Hyer. “We worked with the strings teachers in 2023 to plan this project, and we are excited about its possibilities.”

The Dalí Quartet, whose members are of Hispanic heritage, play the spectrum of chamber music with a focus on new music and music by Hispanic composers. The Hispanic population is a significant and growing group in the City schools.

“We are grateful to the NEA for their recognition of the significance of this project to music students and our audience, said Hyer. “It is a huge honor for a small budget orchestra to receive one NEA grant; this is our sixth.”

Hyer attributes the NEA’s repeated funding of the Symphony to the vision and passion that both he and Music Director Jaime Morales-Matos bring to the table when discussing programming and possible projects.

“Jaime has a broad artistic vision, and we discuss ways to expand his plans from the stage into the greater community,” explained Hyer. “Jaime is especially committed to finding creative ways to bring music into the lives of youth of all ages, and this project is an example of that.”

“Projects like the Symphony’s Expanding Horizons exemplify the creativity and care with which communities are telling their stories, creating connection, and responding to challenges and opportunities in their communities—all through the arts,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “So many aspects of our communities such as cultural vitality, health and wellbeing, infrastructure, and the economy are advanced and improved through investments in art and design, and the National Endowment for the Arts is committed to ensuring people across the country benefit.”