Dear PRIZM family,

There’s no question that this year has turned everyone’s world around, and we’re left with more questions today than answers. The pandemic has brought hardships and complications to several arts organizations, and PRIZM Ensemble is no exception. After great consideration, our board of directors has decided to hibernate the organization and pause all operations and spending for the remainder of the year. 

PRIZM is set to resume programming in the spring of 2021. Unfortunately during this phase, we will pause regular outreach programs like our annual winter camp in December and PRIZM in the Schools for the remainder of the 2020-21 academic year. We plan to use this time to regroup our team, as well as reassess our educational and outreach programs to address the needs of our students. We’ve been listening to students, parents and teachers to try and explore new programming opportunities to host virtually in the spring. We also intend to revive the annual PRIZM Summer Camp and Chamber Music Festival, our largest and most highly anticipated event. With all of this time to prepare, we expect 2021’s PRIZM Fest will be bigger and better than ever!

Over the past 15 years, PRIZM has reached young musicians in more than 40 local schools, partnered with several like-minded organizations and provided need-based scholarships to hundreds of students who desired to gain an in-depth music learning experience. We’re proud of our accomplishments so far, but our mission is far from complete. We look forward to returning from this hibernation period in full force and discovering new ways to bring a unique, quality music learning experience to students across the Mid-South.

Thank you for being part of PRIZM’s journey and continued success. Without your dedication and belief in our mission, we would not have been able to remain standing amid this challenging time. We can’t wait to hit the high notes with you again in 2021!

Sincerely,

Roderick Vester, Ph.D.

Executive Director