Mentoring artists is a key part of Florestan’s mission. At one time, we were just starting out in our careers, and were fortunate to find mentors along the way who helped us to refine our craft and goals for who we wanted to become as artists and performers. Florestan has several efforts to foster the development of young performers and creators, from short-term residencies to emerging artist programs.
Florestan is available to mentor individual musicians as well as small-group projects, recordings and performances. Contact Alison at agdamato@florestanproject.org to create a collaborative mentorship with Florestan Recital Project.
Selected mentoring activities have included:
• Co-presentations with the American and Bulgarian Music Festival, Eastman School of Music, San Francisco Song Festival, Emmanuel Music, ETHOS New Music, and the 2004 Nadia Boulanger conference at the American Music Research Center in Boulder, CO.
• Florestan has ongoing collaborations with the Portland Conservatory of Music (Maine), American Century Music, and Wordsong, and has helped craft new programs at the SOURCE Song Festival, Vancouver International Song Institute (VISI), Songfest (Malibu, CA), SUNY Fredonia, Dickinson College, and Boston Conservatory.
• Wordsong: Florestan began a partnership with the Wordsong organization in 2010, and it has become a mainstay in our performance and residency initiatives. WordSong is a new concert format in which one text is presented in multiple, newly composed settings and is the focus of directed conversation among composers, performers, and listeners. WordSong’s goal is to reconnect musicians and audiences through shared, active artistic experiences. (www.wordsongboston.org)
• In 2013, Florestan joined the faculty of the Art Song Lab (Vancouver, BC) to workshop and premiere works by emerging poets and composers. (www.artsonglab.com)
