Our Mission
The Groupmuse Foundation is expanding classical music to be more inclusive and vibrant by empowering musicians through financial, technological, and career support.
OUr STORY
Since 2013, Groupmuse has served as an online platform to connect local musicians and listeners through living room concerts in 10+ major cities across the United States. As a Public Benefit Corporation and operating as a worker-owned and musician-owned cooperative since January 2021, Groupmuse seeks to build a more equitable and sustainable world for musicians.
Groupmuse Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit with its own mission and board of directors, and supports musician-first initiatives beyond house concerts, amplifies artistry of musicians of African descent, and builds a more inclusive audience.
How it started
In March 2020, Groupmuse created an emergency fund to raise $25,000 to pay all musicians who were scheduled to perform Groupmuse house concerts, but concerts were canceled due to COVID-19. Since April 2020, Groupmuse has presented 850+ online concerts for musicians impacted by COVID-19 until 2022, with technological and operational support to musicians funded by Groupmuse Foundation.
Now, we are expanding our efforts in supporting musicians on a national scale beyond organizing house concerts and connecting audiences to them. Our team is comprised of musicians who are able to fold in their personal experiences in their work in advocating for a more inclusive community for musicians to thrive in.
THE TEAM
BOARD of directors
Kofi Hayford, Board Chair
Francesco Cardello, Board Treasurer
Adam Lasnik, Board Secretary
Anjali Banthia
Samuel Bodkin
Helen Beekman
Anne Cademenos
Eliot R. Jenkins
Naoya Kanai
Steven Payne
Lisa Qian
George Spera
Liv Sridhar
Advisory Board
Norman Benzaquen
Michael Gallagher
Alexander Roy
