NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. — The Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) has awarded $2,720 toward a Manchester Symphony Orchestra (MSO) performance through the Arts Organization Support grant program.

“The projects and organizations that are receiving funding are improving the economic and educational climates of the state of Indiana,” said Alberta Barker, chair of the arts commission. “The commission is delighted to support this investment in Hoosier communities. It is a privilege to uplift the impressive creative work being done around the state.”

The IAC grant will help cover costs associated with presenting Ludwig van Beethoven’s ‘Mass in C’ at the Dona Nobis Pacem concert at 3 p.m. March 12, 2023, at the Honeywell Center in Wabash, Indiana.

“Each MSO concert costs almost $16,000 to produce, and we count on our generous donors and grants like this to make high-quality, diverse programming accessible in Wabash County and our region,” said Beth Driscoll, president of the Manchester Symphony Society.

In its 84th season, more than a quarter of the MSO repertoire is by composers from underrepresented groups. Conductor and Artistic Director Debra Lynn has been intentional about all the choices.

“While the MSO is turning toward more intentional programming with regard to underrepresented composers, it is also important to keep performing long-standing classical masterworks throughout history,” Lynn said. “Beethoven was a great innovator who was a musical radical in his time. He was the closest thing to a rock star in the early 1800s — basically the Elvis of his time. He broke all the musical conventions and opened new possibilities for all the composers who followed after him.”

The March 12 performance will feature the Manchester University A Cappella Choir, the Manchester Symphony Chorus, and area high school choirs.

“His ‘Mass in C’ premiered in 1807, just as he was breaking new ground as a composer and splintering the walls of musical form erected by his predecessors. This is why it is important for musicians to continue studying and performing this particular work,” Lynn said. “This grant will help us include young musicians from public schools in our area who will benefit from understanding Beethoven’s crucial role in the evolution of music and in a historical context,” she said.

“Without Beethoven, there would have been no Mendelssohn, Puccini, Debussy, or Bernstein; but neither would there have been The Beatles or Lady Gaga! He was that much of a game changer for all of us. It is my goal to help high school and college musicians understand this about Beethoven and provide an opportunity for them to perform one of the actual pieces that flung those doors wide open! We are tremendously thankful for the funding that helps make this possible,” Lynn said.

The March concert also includes “Melody” by Myroslav Skoryk; “Dona Nobis Pacem” from the Mass in B Minor by Bach; and “Lyric for Strings” by George Walker, the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize for music composition.

The first concert of the MSO season is Legends at 3 p.m. October 9 in Cordier Auditorium on the North Manchester, Indiana, campus of Manchester University. It includes “Peter and the Wolf” by Sergei Prokofiev and “Chokfi’ (Sarcasm for String Orchestra and Percussion)” by Chickasaw composer Jerod Inpichchaachaaha’ Tate.

“Art and creativity strengthen the fabric of Indiana’s communities. They promote connection and cohesion, foster the entrepreneurial spirit communities need to thrive, and create the kinds of communities where people want to live,” said Miah Michaelsen, executive director of the Indiana Arts Commission. “In each of Indiana’s 92 counties, public funding for arts and creativity continually proves to be a high-return investment that improves the quality of life of every Hoosier and drives economic development within our state.”

Funding for the Indiana Arts Commission and its programs is provided by the Indiana General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

View the full list of grants awarded.