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Impromptu Music is a group of professionals who volunteer their time and talent to support causes that affect their community. Every year, they present an evening of classical music, performed at the highest level, with the goal of raising money for a charity partner. Fundamental to their collective vision is that the evening be free and accessible to the public. They made a conscious choice to strip away the financial constraints associated with their work as performing musicians. Audience members can donate at the door or online through a CrowdRise campaign, which distributes the contributions directly to the charity.
As artists, they sometimes feel powerless when they consider the greater issues facing their society. Impromptu Music is a way for them to support issues they care about by doing what they do best: putting on fantastic concerts! They donate their time and talent in the hopes that the audience will be inspired to donate financially.
On September 15, 2017, 65 musicians from New York City and beyond, came together for a spontaneous and free performance of J.S. Bach’s monumental Mass in B minor (BWV 232). All the performers donated their time in the hopes of raising money to support three causes they voted to support: the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Black Lives Matter, and Planned Parenthood. All proceeds from the performance were divided among these three organizations and the event was supported and documented by donations of products and services from theit community. They filled St. Michael’s Church on the Upper West Side, and raised over $12,000! The success of this first year inspired them to continue in 2018, this time focusing on a specific issue. They hope to continue Impromptu Music far into the future, with each year’s concert highlighting a different social cause. |
