SOCIAL IMPACT PROJECT BUILDING

Congratulations to the Inaugural Winner of CAG’s Weissberg Prize, Conductor Kyle Dickson!

Thanks to the generosity of CAG Board Director Norbert Weissberg, this $5,000 prize will help Kyle kickstart his project MUSIC REPRESENTS — a live concert experience featuring a dynamic, newly commissioned work for chamber ensemble and narrator celebrating the captivating stories of influential black composers. 

“Developing my thoughts through the Social Impact Project Building workshops helped me to focus my long-held convictions into MUSIC REPRESENTS — a concrete way to help my community fall in love with music as I did as a teenager. With the aid of this award, young people from silenced communities will see themselves represented through classical music, and I'm humbled and grateful for the opportunity to usher the next generation of diverse artists into this beautiful tradition.”
— Kyle Dickson

Thank you to the illustrious panel who listened to the artists’ project pitches and provided invaluable feedback:

Pedja Mužijević, Artistic Administrator Baryshnikov Arts Center, Artistic Advisor Tippet Rise Arts Center
Tom Novak, Director of Artistic Planning Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
Eric Oberstein, Managing Director Harlem Stage
Katelyn Simone, Writer, Fundraiser, Consultant Katelyn Simone Copywriting
Lisa Williams, Managing Director Goldman Sachs, Strategy Investment
Ed Yim, Chief Content Officer and Senior Vice President WQXR 
Nathan Zeisler, Dean for Community Initiatives The Colburn School

What is Social Impact Project Building?

Social Impact Project Building is a vital pillar of CAG’s Citizen Musician Bootcamp. Through it, artists explore new ways to create positive community impact beyond the concert stage. In this series of workshops, CAG roster musicians:

• Identify community needs

• Transform these needs into projects

• Pitch to fund their project

• Launch their project

• Network for social impact

Inaugural Social Impact Project Building Workshops